


Catching Feelings

by Purim



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: But I feel like it's very cute and successful with what it attempts to do, F/M, Fluff, It takes it's time, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:21:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29001393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purim/pseuds/Purim
Summary: Chloe and Goh have been friends ever since they were young children, and though they've grown apart in recent times, that hasn't changed. But when they begin to see each other in a new light, will their friendship survive the evolution?
Relationships: Gou | Goh & Koharu | Chloe, Gou | Goh/Koharu | Chloe, Gou | Goh/Sakuragi Koharu | Chloe Cerise
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	1. My Best Friend

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to thank my friends who helped inspire me to write this and helped with revisions. Thank you very much. Please enjoy the entire story, all posted at once.

She hefted her backpack up the stairs on her way up to the Cerise Laboratory. This was her ordinary after school ritual, and even on a Friday, rituals would remain unbroken.

But there was something uneasy in the air. Yamper was missing, not rushing out to meet her, to start. He always did that...

She stepped up to the door and cracked it open. "I'm ho-"

"AACHOO!"

Chloe closed the door.

A few moments later, Ren opened the door, wearing a face mask. "Here you go, Chloe," he said, handing her a mask of her own.

Without saying anything else, she put the mask on her face. "What's going on, Ren?"

Her father's assistant motioned her inside. "Ash caught an awful cold, so he's upstairs resting."

She raised an eyebrow. "That sneeze was his? I heard him all the way downstairs!"

As she entered the Cerise Laboratory, she quickly saw that Chrysa, her father, even Goh and Cinderace were wearing face masks. Yamper sat at her father's feet, whining and pawing at the mask itself.

A mask floated in the air just above Cinderace’s shoulder, showing that Sobble was hiding there. Chloe reconsidered letting Eevee out in this environment. “Dad?" she asked, turning towards Professor Cerise. "Is Ash really this sick?"

"Unfortunately," he said with a wry but sad smile.

"I kept trying to tell him..." Goh sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "He really wanted to go swimming on the lay day of summer despite us being in freezing cold Sinnoh..."

"Cin…” his partner Pokémon nodded.

"So that's why we're all covered up today," Professor Cerise finished explaining. "And unfortunately we're also a little behind."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "That makes sense. I don't see how you could get anything done with this noise going on..."

"We might have fallen a little behind, but thanks to everyone's hard work, we're pretty close to finishing up. It might just be a little bit longer before we can go home."

Chloe sighed. "Alright, Dad. I'll be upstairs if you-"

Before the maroon-haired girl could finish her thought, a loud ringing began to sound over the computer systems in the lab that made her hold her ears. Cinderace flinched as well and the mask that indicated Sobble’s position moved into the larger Pokémon’s arms. Thankfully, the ringing subsided as quickly as it started.

Chrysa began furiously typing at her computer. "Professor! It seems like we're getting a direct call from the Vermilion City Police Department... it's Officer Jenny."

Professor Cerise nodded. "Patch it through, please."

Everyone standing in the laboratory turned to the holographic display that opened a window to show the face of the blue-haired, hazel*-eyed law enforcement officer.

"Officer Jenny!" Professor Cerise spoke, the smile evident in his voice, even if it was covered up in a face mask.

The look on the officer's face was immediately conflicted. "Professor Cerise...? Is everything alright?"

"Don't worry about it," he said, cheerfully waving her concerns away. "What seems to be the trouble? It's not every day you reach out to my laboratory."

At that, she nodded. "Today we've been getting a lot of reports about strangely aggressive Pokémon in the forests around the city," she explained. "People think this is a job for the police, but we catch human criminals, not wild Pokémon. Do you think you could send some researchers to investigate?"

"Catching a Pokémon?" Goh said, cheerfully pumping his fist. "That sounds like my kind of job!"

Chloe sighed. "Of course you'd say that..."

Professor Cerise nodded. "We'll look into for you and report our findings, Officer Jenny," he stated. "I'll send them right away."

Officer Jenny nodded and then gave them all a salute. "The Vermilion PD thanks you for your assistance!" With that, the window closed.

"Alright, I'm off to catch a Pokémon!" Goh declared triumphantly as he spun on his heels.

Ren gasped. "B-By yourself?!" he asked. "You heard Officer Jenny! It could be dangerous!"

All Goh could do is shrug. "Who else could even come? It's not like Ash is up to it.

"A-CHOOO!"

The building shook with the force of his sneeze.

Professor Cerise nodded. "Chloe, why don't you go with him?"

At that, the girl gasped. "What? Me? But you heard Officer Jenny…"

“I think this would be a great opportunity to really get out of your comfort zone,” her father responded. “It may be a little dangerous, but between Eevee, Yamper, and Goh, I’m sure you’ll be safe. And who knows? You might discover something new about yourself along the way!”

Chloe frowned, looking away. There was an itch inside her to see new things, to expand her worldview. She wanted to find her own way, and to help Eevee find her way as well. “I-I dunno about this…”

"Two sets of eyes _would_ be better than one..." remarked Chrysa.

"Yamp! Yamper!"

The Electric-Type Puppy Pokémon hopped up and down excitedly.

Goh put a hand on his hip. "I guess Yamper wants to go."

This made Chloe whine in response. "Yamper do you really want to go...?"

"And besides," Goh continued, "didn't you say that these things were fun?”

Her mind flashed back to the first time she went on a little adventure like this.

Chloe was struggling with a report for school. At her father's insistence, she went with Goh and Ash to the Pewter City museum to see a giant Shieldon. What ended up happening was a fossil hunt where she really felt like part of the team.

She also recalled the image of Goh, standing in the darkness, rubbing the face of the Aerodactyl that would soon be his. His calm, confident smile. His soothing words.

She felt her heart skip a beat.

She looked back at Goh, his confident smile still visible despite the face mask.

"..You know what? Sure. I'll go with you."

Goh's grin was growing. "Awesome! We'll definitely find that aggressive Pokémon if we work together!" Linking his arm with hers and pulling her towards the door, he shouted out "Let's go!"

"Wait, Goh! Slow down!"

Cinderace looked at Yamper and laughed, shrugging at the puppy before the two of them began following their trainers.

* * *

The forests just outside Vermilion City were normally teaming with wild Pokémon. The assortment could range from various Bug-Types to the relatively common Normal and Poison-Type Pokémon.

Chloe held her backpack tightly. She wasn't ready for a Pokémon Battle. Yamper walked right in front of her down the dirt path through the forest. She held Eevee tightly, letting her out to get some comfort in this forest. This isn’t what she expected for a Friday after school.

Her school books and supplies that were in her backpack had been hastily replaced with several kinds of berries from the lab's kitchen and the food supplies for the Pokémon in Cerise Park. Her father even put a few Potions inside in case of any injury.

Despite her nervousness, though, Goh seemed cool and controlled as he looked at his phone. Even Sobble had reappeared on his shoulder. Cinderace stood close by to Goh, looking at his phone with him, but the rabbit kept one eye, and assumedly both ears, open for danger.

Goh groaned. "Yeah, there's definitely something up here..."

Chloe stepped closer, leaning her head over his shoulder. "What's up?"

"There aren't any Pokémon in the area," he explained, holding up his Rotom Phone. "Normally the list shows what Pokémon it can detect in the area, but there aren't any nearby right now...

Chloe frowned. "I wonder why that is.... Maybe they were all scared away by whatever Pokémon is causing trouble?"

"Could be..."

Cinderace tugged on Goh’s sleeve. “Derace.”

Goh immediately looked up from his phone at his Fire-Type partner. "What's up? Do you hear something?"

"Cinder." He nodded.

Yamper began sniffing the air. "Yamper! Yamper!"

"Wait, do you smell it, Yamper?"

"Yamp! Yamp!"

Goh and Chloe looked to each other. "Let's go cautiously."

"Right."

Cinderace and Yamper lead them off the path, through the thick part of the trees. Sobble remained unfazed, clinging to Goh's shoulder, but Chloe was beginning to feel her stomach clench and churn in knots, holding even more tightly onto Eevee. As they walked through the underbrush, though, they began to hear it.

In the distance, there was the sound of crashing, like trees were falling and being felled constantly. As they drew closer, Goh's Rotom Phone dinged with a notification. He quickly pulled it up. "Looks like we've got company."

Chloe looked ahead, and she could already see what the Phone was alerting Goh to.

Standing in a self-made clearing of knocked over trees and smashed rocks was a tall, purple Pokémon standing on its hind legs, horns and spikes jutting out at various places on its body, all the way down the powerful tail that was still thrashing up and down as the Pokémon continued destroying the area.

A wave of familiarity washed over Chloe. "Wait... is that...?"

Goh nodded and raised up his Rotom Phone. The camera focused on the wild Pokémon and opened up the Pokédex application.  
  
"Nidoking," the soft, feminine voice of Goh's Rotom Phone spoke. "The Drill Pokémon. A Poison-and-Ground-Type. Nidoking's thick tail packs enormously destructive power. With one swing, it can topple a metal transmission tower. Once this Pokémon goes on a rampage, there is no stopping it."

Goh's eyes widened. "It's just like that day..."

In his mind, he saw a Nidoking that looked much bigger to his six-year old self. Flittering in front of it, almost playing, was the Mythical Pokémon that he would spend the rest of his life chasing after.

Mew.

In his mind, he was still there at that day, chasing after it.

“Goh, wait up!”

His mind cleared and he was back in the present again, crouched in the forest.

He looked over to see the girl with the maroon hair and green eyes looked concerned at Nidoking.

'Oh right,' he thought. 'Chloe was with me that day, too, wasn't she?'

"Goh?" she asked. "What do we do?"

He stroked his chin, his thoughts returning to the task at hand. "I dunno... we've got to calm it down somehow..."

The wild Nidoking turned, still thrashing about, and locked eyes with Goh and Chloe. "NI-DOH!" With a roar, Nidoking leapt forward onto all fours and began running towards the humans and their Pokémon.

"It saw us!" Chloe gasped.

Yamper leapt into action and stood his ground at the rampaging Pokémon. Chloe stood up, too. This would be just like all the other times before, she told herself. Yamper would protect her.

"Yamper, use Spark!"

With a growl, Yamper's body began to spark and crackle as electricity began to course over him. He leapt forward, an electrical aura forming around him as he shot through the air like an arrow loosed from a bow.

"Oh no! Not that!" Goh shouted.

Chloe gasped as Yamper crashed into Nidoking, but the powerful Pokémon crashed through the Puppy and knocked him away. Yamper's small body was tossed along the ground before coming to a stop. He whined in pain as Nidoking roared.

"Chloe, Yamper needs to be careful!" Goh admonished her. "Electric-Type moves won't work on a Ground-Type like Nidoking!"

Chloe was already climbing out of the bushes, though. In her mind, all she could think of was how many times Yamper had been there for her to protect her. How loyal and brave he was even when facing down Pokémon much bigger or stronger than he was. Dropping Eevee behind at Goh’s feet, she raced across the clearing. She dove across the ground, grabbing Yamper in her arms. The puppy was alright, but there was a tense look on his face, and he looked more than a little shaken.

"Yamper... Oh, Yamper, you were only trying to protect me..."

Goh's heart leapt into this throat at the scene playing out before him. "CHLOE!"

She looked up and the Nidoking had turned again, swinging its powerful tail down towards Chloe and Yamper.

The fear coursing through her turned her legs to stone. She wasn't an experienced trainer! She shouldn't even be out here! And now she was going to get trampled by this Pokémon!

"GO!"

She looked up as she heard Goh shout. In a flash, a white-and-red blur moved between her and Nidoking.

"BLAZE KICK!"

The blur, now defined as Cinderace, swung his powerful legs into the tail of Nidoking. Despite the thickness of the armor plates, the rabbit had enough power in his two brutal kicks to knock the tail away, causing Nidoking to stumble and fall. The Striker landed in front of Chloe, a threatening stance taken as he glared across at Nidoking.

Chloe was only just now able to realize what had just happened. Goh had acted quickly to save her and Yamper from harm. Her gaze drifted over to him. He had his arm out, and Sobble was leaping forward.

This clear blue eyes, normally so soft and friendly, had a sharp intensity to them.

"Sobble, use Water Gun!"

As Nidoking was standing up, Goh's Galarian Water Lizard sprayed a blast of water from his mouth into Nidoking, knocking it over.

The boy was reaching into his pocket, pulling out an empty Poké Ball and expanding it. He was getting ready to toss it. "Poké Ball..."

He stopped. His eyes saw something at the base of Nidoking's tail as the Drill Pokémon lay limp on the ground.

"...oh no."

He slipped the ball back into his pocket and rushed over towards Nidoking.

Chloe felt her heart leap into her throat. "Goh, what are you doing?! It's dangerous to get that close!"

He didn't listen and ran full sprint over towards Nidoking. Chloe was forced to watch, and her overactive imagination began playing a scene where Goh was squished flat.

But the struggling never came.

Goh dropped to one knee near Nidoking and began reaching for something near the base of its tail. He grunted, and there was a metallic clang as he pulled something off.

Chloe gasped. In Goh's hands was a Pokémon trap with sharp, vicious metal fangs that had embedded itself into Nidoking's body. There was a sigh of relief from Nidoking as the trap was removed.

Goh had seen that? In the midst of the battle? While fighting to protect her?

He had grown so much since the Lab opened. He looked so cool and mature from where Chloe sat, clutching Yamper as Eevee rushed over to check on them. She remembered how arrogant he would be, shouting things like how he didn’t need friends, or how he would focus on his data to the exclusion of going outside and meeting anyone new. How complete his transformation from those days had been, now where he

He turned his focused blue eyes to her, and she felt her heart leap when he made eye contact.

"Chloe! C'mere! Nidoking needs first aid!"

Shaking the warmth from her head and cheeks, she nodded. "Right!"

She ran over to him, her backpack still shaking with the medical supplies they brought.

* * *

A few moments later, and Nidoking was standing back up.

Goh gave the Pokémon a bow. "I'm sorry, Nidoking," he said. "I had no idea you were in so much pain."

"Nido..." it responded, embarrassed for its own actions.

"Goh... what was that...?"

She gestured to the trap, now discarded, but not destroyed.

"It's a tool poachers use to trap Pokémon," he said. “They get caught in these, and they get hurt and can't escape, so the poachers come around and nab them all up." The more he spoke, the more anger grew on his face before he turned to Chloe. "You don't treat Pokémon this way! They're living beings you know! I love to catch Pokémon, but this isn't the right way to do it!"

"Goh..." she whispered, taken aback.

"S-Sorry, Chloe..." he said, laughing a little. “I know YOU'RE not like that. I just... got a bit ahead of myself I guess."

She turned her attention to Nidoking. "At least you're all better, right?"

The Drill Pokémon nodded, gratefully. "Nidoking!"

"And that's what matters in the end, y'know," Goh added. "That and making sure we find all the traps."

"Goh, this forest is huge! How can we possibly find all the traps poachers might have put out here?"

The boy turned to Nidoking. "Do you have any idea where you found these?"

Nidoking sighed. "King..." he shook his head.

"Guess not, huh...?" Goh sighed as well.

"Yamp! Yamp!"

Yamper, having been cured of the poisoning while they were tending to Nidoking, was over near the disarmed trap, sniffing it with Eevee as Cinderace and Sobble watched. He raised his head and sniffed the air before barking out again. "Yamper! Yamper!"

Chloe blinked, concerned. "Yamper, are you trying to...?"

"Yahoo!" Goh shouted, pumping his fists. "Yamper's being our very own bloodhound! He can sniff out the traps, for sure!"

"Yamper!" the Electric-Type confirmed, tail wagging excitedly.

Chloe was surprised. "Can you do that?"

"A Pokémon's nose is much more sensitive than a human's," Goh said, smirking. The smugness that came with his knowledge almost made him sparkle garishly. "Yamper can do it, no doubt about it!"

Chloe walked over to Yamper and picked up the disarmed trap. "We should gather them and bring them to Officer Jenny," she said. "She might be able to track down the poachers with the evidence."

"Great idea, Chloe!" Goh shouted. "Now let's go! We've gotta catch 'em all!"

* * *

It took a few more hours, but eventually Goh and Chloe had gathered 5 such traps and baited cages that Yamper easily led them to. The traps fit in Chloe's backpack, but they had to carry the cages in their arms. Thankfully, Officer Jenny was at the Cerise Laboratory waiting for them.

"Thank you two for all your help," she said, giving them a salute. "With these, we should get much closer to tracking down these poachers and stopping them."

"You're welcome, Officer Jenny," Chloe said, giving the officer a bow.

"If you find 'em, give 'em one for me, too!" Goh said. "And one for all the Pokémon they hurt!"

"You've got it," she said. "You kids have a good night." She revved her motorcycle and began riding it down the street away from the institute back into the city.

Chloe looked up. The streetlights were already on, and it seemed unlikely that her dad had stayed around this late waiting for her to come home. She frowned. "...looks like we should have picked up something for dinner, huh?"

"I'm sure Mr. Mime has something for us," Goh responded, waving her concern off. "I guess the bigger question is where we are going to sleep... I don't want to share a room with Ash when he's sick."

Chloe thought to herself for a moment. "I... might have an idea?"

* * *

"Thank you, Mr. Mime!"

Chloe and Goh said it in chorus as they began digging into the curry that the Barrier Pokémon had whipped up for them. Between Goh's Cinderace’s flames and Mimey having access to equipment inside the somewhat quarantined lab, they were able to whip up a delicious dinner. Yamper, Eevee, Cinderace, and Sobble ate dinner with the Pokémon in Cerise Park, and Mimey took a plate of the food upstairs into the building for poor sick Ash.

"Good thing today's Friday, right?" Goh said, grinning. "Otherwise you'd have school tomorrow!"

Chloe sighed. A phone call to her father did indeed confirm that he had gone home, but he promised that there was camping equipment in the Lab Mr. Mime could get for them, and they could just camp out tonight.  
'Still, there are worse things than camping in the park with my best friend,' her mind responded.

She saw Goh blowing on the curry on his plate, too impatient to let it cool down before jamming the spoon in his mouth.

Was this impatient boy her best friend?

They had been together ever since they were children, long before that faithful day at Oak’s Summer Camp. She hardly recalled how they met, it was so long ago. And then they met Mew.

And everything shifted.

Goh became more and more reclusive, and more of their time spent together began to revolve around supposed Mew sightings and desperate searches for the Pokémon. But Chloe stood by him, even though that. It's not an exaggeration that her nagging him and bringing him his homework handouts saved him from being held back in school, allowing him the luxury of a double life of research fellow and student. But she didn't have to ask herself why she did that. He’d have done the same for her, she was sure.

He was her best friend, she decided. They were together through everything.

Goh paused and looked at her. “Chloe? Are you okay? You’re kinda staring.”

She blinked and shook her head. “I was just lost in my own thoughts, I guess. I think it’s time for bed.”

She reached behind her head and pulled out her barrette, letting her hair fall loose and bouncy behind her.

Goh laughed. “I haven’t seen your hair like that in… must be years!”

“Well, I’ll be putting it back up in the morning,” she said, pouting. “I can’t sleep like that, though.

“Oh, I know,” Goh replied. “You’ve ALWAYS been like that.”

“And you’ve always been obsessed with Pokémon,” she replied, somewhat teasingly. “I was basically your best friend before Ash came around.”

“Hey, you still are,” he teased back. “I can have more than one best friend. Like you have Yamper and Eevee, and I’ve got Ash and Cinderace and Sobble and… well, all of my Pokémon!”

The two of them shared a laugh as Chloe climbed into the tent Mimey brought out, her fluffy hair cascading around her.

“Anyway, today was fun. I’m glad we helped Nidoking out. Going on these little adventures is definitely more fun than school…” She punctuated that sentence with a yawn at the end. “Anyway, good night, Goh.”

“Good night, Chloe.”

With that, she zipped the tent closed as Gou began putting out the fire with the bucket they had nearby.

“…My best friend for so long… Yeah, I guess that _is_ true.”

“Cindera?.”

Goh turned in the dark to see Cinderace standing there, carrying a sleeping Sobble in his arms.

“I have so many best friends now, though. And I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

“ACE!”

Cinderace leapt forward and hugged Goh tightly, nuzzling his face.

“Let’s get some sleep, too, guys.”


	2. The Meaning of Friendship

"Yeah! I'm back to one-hundred percent!"

"Pika Pikachu!"

Ash was shouting this loudly in the Cerise Park first thing upon waking up. Quickly, he was approached by Gengar and Dragonite, who emerged from the shadows nearby and descended from the sky, respectively, to embrace him, leaving the pride of Pallet Town to laugh at the attention he was receiving.

"Alright, guys, I need to figure out what I missed yesterday!" he announced to them. "Where are Lucario and Farfetch'd? And where's Goh? I haven't seen him either!"

Gengar pointed a shadowy finger towards the middle of the park, where a tent was erected. Sleeping outside of it, still in his sleeping bag was Goh, Cinderace and Sobble laying in various positions.

But who was in the tent?

Ash jumped down from the overlook he was standing on, lowered safely to the ground by Dragonite before rushing over. "Hey Goh!" he shouted. "What's goin' on?"

Goh barely opened a blue eyes. "A-Ash…? Is it morning already…?"

"Sure is! It's time for you to tell me what happened yesterday while I was sick! I know Professor Cerise sent you out on a mission and I wanna hear all about it!"

Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder and gave his own nod. "Pikachu!"

Goh sat up, still cocooned in his sleeping bag. Sobble rolled over into his lap. Cinderace continued to lay unmoving. "Oh, right. Well, you see-"

"You guys are way too loud."

Both Ash and Goh turned their heads to the tent to see the frizzy bedhead of Chloe sticking out, her hair a maroon puff cascading to the ground. "Sleeping with you two talking is basically impossible so I guess I'm awake, too."

Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Chloe! But uh, what are you doing here? Didn't you go home?"

Chloe shot a glance at Goh. "You explain it to him. I'm going to start getting ready."

And with that, her bed head returned to the tent and it zipped shut.

"Why me…?" Goh sighed.

* * *

A few moments later and Ash, Goh, and Chloe were sitting in the kitchen of the institute. Everything had been freshly disinfected by Mr. Mime, who had prepared the three children and the gathered Pokémon - Pikachu, Cinderace, Sobble, and Yamper - a breakfast. Everyone was dressed and prepared for the day except Chloe, who had given up trying to get her hair ready herself. While she sat in a fresh change of clothes (the grey blouse and yellow overalls she had worn to the museum, no less), her hair was still in the disarray she found it in this morning. After finishing her own breakfast, she sat away from the boys, still struggling with her hair.

"So you all found some traps, huh…?"

Ash sat there, hands in his lap while his empty plate was cleaned away by Mr. Mime.

"Yeah, there's definitely poachers in the forest nearby," Goh said. "We told Officer Jenny, but if they're operating in the forest this close to the city, I bet they're really sneaky and good at hiding."

"You don't think it's those Team Rocket guys, do you?" Chloe asked, the images of the man, woman, and Meowth that formed that particular trio appearing in her mind.

"I wouldn't put it past 'em," Ash said with a shrug. "But the way they're always tryin' to steal Pikachu away, I don't think it was them."

"Yeah," Goh said, joking, "they'd probably have come out and done their lame motto."

Ash and Goh laughed a little to themselves, leaving Chloe isolated and a little frustrated with her hair.

"That settles it," Ash said. "We're gonna go find that poacher and put a stop to 'em!"

"But Ash," Goh warned, "we don't even have any clue where to begin to look, and the forests around Vermilion are huge. They could be anywhere from here to Saffron or Lavender Town. That's a lot of ground to cover."

"Oh yeah…" Ash said, deflating a bit. "Wait, didn't you guys say you used Yamper to find the traps? Because he could smell them?"

Chloe sat up a bit at this, wondering where this train of thought was going.

"Oh yeah… I bet Yamper could help us track 'em down, no sweat!"

Even Yamper was getting confused, hearing his name brought up multiple times. "Yamp? Yamper?"

Goh went to where Yamper had licked his food bowl clean and picked the Pokémon up. "You'll give us a hand, won't you Yamper?"

Yamper whined, looking over at Chloe with concern.

"He's saying he doesn't want to go without Chloe," Ash interpreted. "He probably doesn't wanna leave her."

Chloe was still struggling with her hair. "I'll be fine if you guys wanna take Yamper with you to look for this guy."

Yamper began to whine loudly.

Ash could only grin. "Seems like Yamper wants YOU to come with US, Chloe!"

She sighed, standing up and walking to Gou, where she gently lifted the puppy out of Goh's hands. "Really? You want me to go, too?"

"Yamp!" he said, smiling and wagging his tail.

"C'mon, Chloe," Goh said pleadingly. "We need Yamper to save all the Pokémon this poacher's getting!"

"Shouldn't we leave this to Officer Jenny?" she countered.

"Officer Jenny and the Vermilion Police have their hands full with the whole city!" Ash responded. "If the three of us work together, we could catch that poacher in one day, I promise!"

"Pika Pikachu!" his partner responded in the affirmative.

Chloe felt cornered. Her beloved Yamper, her best friend Goh, and even the friendly Ash were all asking her for help. What could she do other than go along with them?

"F-Fine…" she said, eliciting a cheer from Ash.”I'll help. But first, I'm still trying to fix up hair."

Ash groaned. "What? That'll take forever!"

"Just leave this to me," Goh said with a confident grin.

"Huh? Goh?"

Both Ash and Chloe blinked in his direction, Chloe's cheeks gaining the faintest hint of color.

"You forget that we've done tons of sleepovers in the past," Goh explained, raising a confidant finger in the air. "And through all those times, I've had to help you get your hair back in order in quite a few of them! Don't worry! Taming Chloe's wild mane is something I can do!"

He grabbed Chloe's hairbrush off the counter and stepped behind her and began brushing it straight. Chloe pulled Yamper closer to her chest, trying to hide the embarrassment that was growing on her face as he did.

"Th-Thanks, Goh…"

If there was any awkwardness in the air, it was completely missed by Ash.

"Alright! Next stop, the forest!"

* * *

It was a short walk from the city back into the forests outside of Vermilion City. Goh was using his phone to retrace their footsteps until they found themselves back at the clearing that he and Chloe ran into the Nidoking in. Once they arrived, Chloe let Yamper down and instructed the pup to try to find the smell that he had tracked the day before. And just like the day before, Eevee began mimicking his sniffing and smelling the ground alongside the Electric-Type before Chloe scooped her up into her arms.

“C’mon, Yamper!” Ash cheered, practically stomping in anticipation.

“Don’t pressure him,” Chloe snapped back at the trainer. “We don’t even know if Yamper’ll be able to find the trail.”

Ash laughed. “Sorry…”

“She has a good point,” Goh said, looking at the map on his Rotomphone. “I know we planned on using Yamper to find them, but it wouldn’t hurt for us all to search separately to. I mean, we can just text each other once we find something, right?”

Ash frowned, digging his phone out of his pocket. He tapped the screen and showed it to Goh. “Like this, right?”

Goh showed Ash his screen. “Yeah, the messenger app. If we find something, we should message the others to let them know.”

“I-If we find something?” Chloe balked. “I still think we should leave it to Officer Jenny…”

Ash pumped his fist at her. “We’ve got this, no doubt about it! Leave the battling to us, Chloe!”

“Ash is right,” Goh said, turning to his childhood friend. “Yamper and Eevee can fight wild Pokémon, or even one of Team Rocket’s, but a Poacher might try to outnumber you or do any sort of dirty tricks. You stay with Yamper and Eevee, and if you find something, let us know and we’ll handle it, okay?”

Chloe frowned. “I could say the same to you. Don’t do anything reckless, okay?”

To that, the city boy smirked. “C’mon, when have you known me to be reckless? Planning and analysis are practically my middle names.”

Chloe had a few choice words for him, but frowned and said nothing.

A few moments later, Ash was taking to the skies on Dragonite, and Goh on Flygon, both of them headed in separate directions. Chloe waved them off and turned to her Pokémon.

“Alright Yamper, lead the way.”

“Yamp Yamper!”

* * *

Ash flew through the skies on Dragonite, looking for any signs of foul play in the forest below. His extensive experience against Team Rocket gave him what he felt like was an edge in experience in this kind of thing. That was a huge part of the reason he felt confident in handling any would-be poacher.

The other thing that made him confident?

“Hear anything yet, buddy?”

“Pikachu…”

Pikachu sat quietly on Ash’s shoulder, eyes shut and ears twitching. He was listening for the sound of fighting, or pained Pokémon on the wind. His tail twitched as he listened, but he shook his head.”Pikapi, pika.”

Ash gave him a pat on the head. “It’s fine, buddy. We’ll keep looking. Won’t we, Dragonite?”

Dragonite gave an affirmative grunt and continued flying, searching for some sign of trouble, not knowing how very close it was.

* * *

With no Pokémon to use their enhanced senses with him (Cinderace was far too big to let out on Flygon with him at the same time!) Goh was stuck relying on his own eyes as the Mystic Pokémon carried him among the trees in this Kantonian forest.

He frowned, holding one hand onto the Dragon and one to shield his eyes from the sun. “Where is it…?”

His active mind began running through the possibilities.

If he found the poacher, he’d call in Ash and tell Chloe to stay back, and the two of them would handle it.

If Ash found the poacher, he’d see an explosion, or Pikachu’s Thunderbolt from the sky and he’d fly in to help. (Ash would probably forget to message them, so that possibility was discarded.) Then he was back in case one.

If Chloe would find the poacher, surely she’d tell them both? Of course. She’s way too smart and cautious to get caught unaware like this. Besides, Yamper was with her. Between the puppy and Eevee, she’d stay out of trouble until help arrived.

It was these thoughts about the maroon-haired girl that got interrupted by a flash of light, and Flygon cried out in pain.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Goh assessed the situation. “Flygon, what’s-Aaah!”

Looking over, one of Flygon’s wings was now encased in ice, and she was quickly losing altitude. Looking at the forest, he saw a clearing with a large, green truck parked within. Standing in the clearing was a Pokémon – Rhydon – and behind it was a lanky man.

As Flygon descended, Goh typed out a quick message, sending it quickly while cursing his lack of foresight.

The possibility he didn’t consider was that the poacher would find them first.

* * *

Yamper and Eevee pushed through the brush in the forest, the trees growing thicker and thicker by the second as the Electric-Type lead the trio forward. Chloe was beginning to doubt they would find anything.

“Maybe I should just message the boys and ask if we’re gonna give up,” she said, shrugging. “I really don’t think we’re going to find anything.”

Yamper stopped short, causing the girl to almost trip over him. “H-Hey! A little warning, Yamper!”

Yamper sniffed the air and bolted off through the brush, Eevee scrambling over herself to try and keep up.

“Oh no,” Chloe said, her breath catching in her throat as she chased behind the Pokémon. “Did Yamper find them?”

“Message from Goh. Message from Goh.”

Her phone began to vibrate and speak. She still wasn’t used to the voice.

She took phone as she ran and gasped as she read the message.

‘Under attack. Poacher found.’

Attached was an image of the map of the area with a pin at Goh’s location. And a quick cross-reference let Chloe know she was very close by indeed.

* * *

Goh landed before recalling Flygon back to her ball. “So, I guess tough guys like you can only try to win with a sneak attack,” Goh challenged him, frowning. “That was a dirty trick.”

The man standing before him had pale skin and oily hair that looked like Octillery-Ink pasta coming out from under his knit hat. He was scrawny, like a plant that hadn’t seen the sun in weeks.

“I figured when my traps were missing that maybe Officer Jenny was getting wise. But looks like instead it’s a nosey brat looking for trouble. And we don’t like brats, do we Rhydon?”

The Poacher’s Rhydon roared, his drill-horn spinning threateningly at Goh.

The poacher smirked. “You seem like a smart kid, though. Maybe if you give me that Flygon and every other Pokémon you have I’ll let you go free.”

Goh spat in his direcrtion. “You think I’m just gonna let you take my friends? I’m not afraid of you.” While he was speaking, his eyes were taking in as much information as he could see. The cages loaded on the back of the truck were loaded with injured Pokémon.

“And you’re gonna pay for hurting those Pokémon.”

He took his first Poké Ball from his pocket and tossed it forward. “Cinderace, let’s go!”

The ball opened, and in a bright flash of light, Goh’s first Pokémon stood defiantly against the Rhydon, taking a battle stance.

“That Pokémon isn’t going to stop us! Rhydon, use Drill Run!”

Goh gestured forward. “Use Double Kick!”

As the Drill Pokémon tore across the clearing towards Goh’s Fire-Type, the Striker Pokémon leapt into action. Cinderace brought his large feet to bear against the Rock-Type, knocking Rhydon back and causing the poacher’s attack to miss.

“Use Ice Beam! Stop it from moving!” the poacher ordered.

“Quick Attack, let’s go!”

Goh’s partner quickly darted out of the way of the Ice Beam, which left translucent ice crystals on the ground from where it struck. Cinderace bashed his entire body into Rhydon, knocking him backwards, even though the attack didn’t do much damage.

In the bushes to the side of the clearing, a small Pokémon’s head poked through the brush, tongue wagging. Soon, there was another familiar face joining his, their trainer not far behind.

Chloe stood in the bushes, watching Goh battle against the poacher. She froze. Should she get involved and help? They did say she should stay back in situations like this.

She raised a hand, almost calling out to Goh when the poacher’s voice rang out across the clearing, making her stop and watch.

“Why are you even here, you brat?!” he shouted at her best friend. “I’m just out here catching Pokémon like any Pokémon Trainer! I’m not doing anything wrong!”

“The way you’re handling this entire situation is wrong,” Goh shouted back.

Cinderace added a “Dace!” in agreement.

“You can’t treat Pokémon like this. If you’re going to catch them, you’ve gotta treat them with respect. Let them break out of a Poké Ball or battle them and see if they wanna join you. You can’t force them to do it!”

The poacher scoffed, reaching into his pocket as his Rhydon continued to gain his bearings. “You’re a soft-hearted brat, you know that? You think these Pokémon are your friends?”

“Of course I do!” Goh shouted back. “Every Pokémon I’ve caught is my friend! I care about all of them!”

The poacher groaned. “You’re one of _those_ types who say Pokémon are our friends like some goody two-shoes, huh?”

Goh glared back, his blue eyes turning hard and piercing. “I know they’re my friends, because I know what it’s like not to have any!”

Chloe’s breath caught in her throat. “Goh…?”

“When I was a little kid, all I wanted to do was go find Mew, to catch it and show off? And you know what every other kid did? They made fun of me. They pushed me away, and left me alone. Called me a liar. All but one. And she showed me exactly what friendship is about!”

The Poacher smirked. “Is she your girlfriend?”

Chloe’s ears burned at the insinuation, but Goh shook his head, ignoring the bait.

“Shut up! Even when everyone else brushed me aside, she was there for me, helping me out and standing with me, even when everyone else said I was a liar! And that’s why, when I think about how I want to treat my friends –my Pokémon- I think about how she treated me! She showed me exactly what friendship is all about!”

Chloe felt her face turn progressively redder and redder. Did he really just say all that? He must not think she’s in earshot, to say all of that.

Was she really that important to him?

Goh continued. “And my friend Cinderace here and I… we’re gonna show you just how strong a friendship like /ours/ is. We’re gonna smash every trap and let all those Pokémon free!”

“Derace!” Cinderace shouted, challenging Rhydon to continue the battle.

The poacher finally found the Poké Ball he was looking for and tossed it, and in a flash of light, he had let out a huge Pokémon that towered over the trees in the forest.

Chloe pulled her phone out of her pocket and pointed it at the newcomer.

“Onix,” her phone stated plainly. “The Rock Snake Pokémon. A Rock-and-Ground-Type. It rapidly bores through the ground at 50 mph by squirming and twisting its massive, rugged body. As it digs through the ground, it absorbs many hard objects. This is what makes its body so solid.”

Chloe swallowed. She _had_ to help, now, right? Especially after what Goh said…

“Onix, use Rock Tomb! Rhydon, Ice Beam!”

“Dodge it Cinderace!”

Onix roared out, creating several large boulders in the air that it tossed at Cinderace. While the Fire-Type watched them to avoid getting hit, Rhydon let out another Ice Beam from his mouth. Cinderace barely managed to get out of the way of the Ice Beam, but the boulders crashed into his body, pinning him down.

“Cinderace!”

The poacher laughed at him. “How’s that friendship working for you now?”

A third voice suddenly rang out across the clearing, making everyone present, even Chloe look up.

“Use Hurricane!”

Landing next to Goh like a superhero from the movies, his brown eyes like sharpened arrows glaring back at the poacher, was Ash, Pikachu clinging to his shoulder as always. In the sky above, Dragonite began flapping her wings, sending a whirling cyclone of air at Onix and Rhydon, forcing them back, if not damaging them very much.

“Ash! Thanks!” Goh said, sighing in relief.

“Sorry I’m late. We were pretty far away when we got the message,” he said offering Goh a fist bump, one that the city boy accepted.

“No problem. Ready to take this joker down?”

“You bet! C’mon, Lucario!”

Ash threw a ball of his own, letting his Aura Pokémon out. Lucario frowned, almost snarling at the poacher, but he moved to Cinderace and kicked the rocks off of the rabbit Pokémon first. Cinderace rubbed his wrists and offered a word of thanks to the Fighting-Type, but Lucario rolled his eyes and focused on the battle in front of them now.

“Onix use Iron Tail! Rhydon, use Rock Blast!”

“Lucario, Force Palm!”

“Cinderace, Blaze Kick!”

Onix towered over Lucario, and attempted to bring his massive tail down onto Ash’s Pokémon, but Lucario caught it easily, his Aura pulsing confidently as he did before he let his Aura explode from his palm, blasting Onix backwards. Across the clearing, Rhydon fired rocks from his horn at Cinderace, who effortlessly smashed through each one with his blazing feet.

“Lucario, time to wrap this up! Use Aura Sphere!”

“Cinderace, use Pyro Ball!”

Focusing his Aura into a bullet, Lucario launched the concussive blast straight at the Poacher’s side of the field. Cinderace kicked up a pebble and kicked it around a few times as it heated up and became engulfed in flames before kicking it forward. The two spheres spun around each other, combining into a combination attack that exploded, knocking Onix and Rhydon backwards in a massive blast that obscured everyone’s view of the field.

Chloe squinted, trying to keep her eyes on the battlefield, but when the dust cleared, Onix and Rhydon were lying knocked out, unable to continue battling. The Poacher quickly recalled them. “I’m outta here! Get away from me you kids!”

Ash pointed forward. “Grab ‘im, Dragonite!”

Dragonite smirked and roared as she flew forward, grabbing the poacher in her arms, squeezing him tightly in a hug.

“N-No…! Let me go!”

Goh smirked. “Struggle all you want. Dragonite’s hugs are unbreakable.”

This made Ash laugh. “Yeah, we know that ‘cause we’ve felt ‘em ourselves!”

“Pikachu…”

Goh turned to Cinderace. “Mission Accomplished!” He held his hand up, and Cinderace spun into a handstand, matching his hand with his foot in their high five.

With the battle wrapped up, Chloe finally felt brave enough to step out into the clearing, Yamper and Eevee trailing behind her. Goh was the first one to notice she arrived as the high five ended. “Chloe! I guess you missed all the fun, huh?”

Chloe swallowed, suddenly nervous now that Goh’s blue eyes were on her.

_‘Where did this come from?’_ she thought.

“Y-Yeah! Looks like you two got things wrapped up! We just got here.”

Yamper looked at her, frowning. “Yamp…?”

Goh turned his attention away from Chloe, letting her exhale her caught breath. “I guess now we just gotta dismantle this operation and take that guy to Officer Jenny, huh?”

Ash nodded. “Dragonite and I’ll take this guy to Officer Jenny. You two can start freeing the trapped Pokémon.”

Goh nodded, taking a ball from his pocket. It opened, and Aerodactyl came out. “Here. You can ride Aerodactyl into the city and back. I don’t want Dragonite to accidentally let him go.”

Ash nodded. “Good idea! We’ll be back before you know it. C’mon, Aerodactyl!”

The Fossil Pokémon screeched in understanding, letting Ash onto his back. After Ash recalled Lucario, they took off, taking the Poacher away and leaving Goh and Chloe alone with all the Pokémon.

“C’mon, let’s get started,” he said, stepping towards the truck.

“R-Right!” She replied, suddenly nervous. This translated into her walking awkwardly behind Goh, to even the point that he noticed.

He stopped and turned to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. “The danger’s over, Chloe. You don’t have to be scared anymore, okay?”

She could feel the heat returning to her ears, and it beginning to spread to her face. “I know that,” she said in mock-defiance. “I guess I’m just nervous… f-for all the Pokémon!”

Goh frowned, his attention now shifting to the victims of the poaching they had just thwarted. “Yeah, I’m worried about them, too. Let’s get them out of there.”

Approaching the back of the truck, all of the Pokémon were locked in small cages stacked on top of each other. Cinderace climbed on the back and took down one of the cages, handing it to Goh. He in turn handed it to Chloe. “Here. Take this over there and set it on the ground. We don’t wanna open the cages all together. They might hurt each other scrambling out.”

Chloe took the small cage, her hand brushing against Goh’s as she took it from him. She felt her face heat up, even as the Oddish in the cage quivered in fear. Goh smiled and looked down at the Grass Pokémon. “Don’t worry. You’re all gonna be fine. We’re here to set you free!”

Oddish calmed down as Goh let out his Scyther. “Scyther, go over to the other side of the clearing with Chloe and cut open the cage to let them out as we bring them over, okay? And be careful, we don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“Scy!” he nodded, following Chloe closely as she walked away from the truck, with Yamper and Eevee close behind.

She set the cage down and Scyther sliced it open, letting Oddish hop out and run away back into the brush.

Chloe turned back to Goh and watched him and Cinderace continue to unload the truck. She was transfixed for a moment, watching him. She heard his voice trying to soothe the worried Pokémon, assuring them that they would all be safe soon.

‘ _Wow_ …’ she found herself thinking. ‘ _Goh was really cool today… and I didn’t know he thought about me like that… From here, he looks kinda tall and…’_

She stopped herself. “No…” she whispered, only where Yamper and Eevee could hear.

“No… no no no…”

She repeated the word as she found herself walking towards him, her heart thudding against her chest with every step.

But no matter how much she wanted to deny it, the events of the past two days was making it clear to her, something she had hoped would never be true.

“Chloe, c’mon! I need you!”

Goh had turned back, smiling at her, his blue eyes soft and glittering as he held another cage holding a Growlithe.

Her heart skipped, and she had to accept it.

She had a crush on Goh.


	3. The Quickest Way

The rest of the day was, for Chloe, an awkward blur. Eventually Ash came back, by the time she and Goh had worked their way through most of the cages. Ash let them know that Officer Jenny was on the way to clean things up, and so it wasn't much longer until the grown-ups arrived.  
  
The three young trainers then left, and Chloe caught the first bus she could back home.  
  
"Catch you later, Chloe!" Goh said breezily as she got on the bus. She waved but she didn't turn around, not wanting to get caught like a Deerling in his eyes.  
  
The next day was a blur, too, one thankfully spent at home since it was a Sunday. Other than taking Yamper and Eevee for a walk and family meals, Chloe stayed in her room, mostly reading magazines on her bed.  
  
She never thought she'd be turning to them for advice, but some things can't be learned in school.  
  
The advice columns within just made her groan. All the questions were from girls who were getting crushes on strangers or asking about celebrities. It was useless for a girl struggling with feelings that just happened to rear their head only after they had been friends for years.  
  
She rolled into her back, with Yamper and Eevee hopping onto the bed to look at her.  
  
"I'm a mess..." She whined. "What am I gonna do? I can't hide in here from Goh forever..."  
  
The thought of seeing him again made her heart skip, unbidden. She thought of how the first thing she hear upon entering the lab would be his cheerful "Good morning, Chloe!"  
  
She squealed, grabbing a pillow and hugging it close. "I can't think like that..." She sighed. "No matter how he's making me feel right now, he's just the same old Goh that I've always known. He's definitely not thinking about anything like this right now...!"  
  
There was a pause, with part of her expecting that thought to bring her comfort. Instead it just made her chest ache.  
  
She put her pillow on her face and screamed into it.  
  
"He's just a friend! He's just a friend!"  
  
 _"_ _She showed me exactly what friendship is all about!”_  
  
There he was again invading her thoughts with his eyes and his smile and his hair and-  
  
She groaned, throwing her pillow against the wall, knocking a picture frame down and making a loud bang as it hit the floor. She got up immediately and checked it. Thankfully the glass and frame didn't look damaged.  
  
As she did, her door opened and Parker stuck his head in. "Chloe, you've been making a lot of noise in here," he said. "Am I gonna have to tell Mom and Dad you're having a Pokémon Battle in here or are you gonna chill out?"  
  
She tossed the pillow at him, which he blocked by closing the door. "OUT OF MY ROOM, PARKER!"  
  
She sighed and laid on the ground.  
  
"My life is over... how can I even look at him tomorrow without acting like a freak...?"

* * *

The answer to that was deceptively simple.  
  
After dropping off Yamper, she immediately turned and began to leave before Goh could see her off. As she put her hand back on the door to leave the Cerise laboratory, a dark-skinned hand shot past her and held the door shut.

“Hey, where are you headed?” came his voice behind her. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and she could feel her ears turning red and the feeling began to creep down her cheeks.

“T-To school, obviously…” she said, trying to play it off.

“Oh,” he responded. “I thought you’d wanna come with us.” He backed away as he said that, but he had already drawn her attention.

She turned to him on reflex, her curiosity betraying her as she took in his face once again. His blue eyes, clear as the sky, were very close to her own. She could smell the soap he must have used in the shower, it’s scent still clinging to him. Her eyes looked at his lips and he spoke in an excited tone.  
  
"Professor Cerise said a huge flock of Pidove were seen not that far from the city, and Ash and I were gonna check it out. I thought that you may wanna come, since you were friends with that one a little while ago. "  
  
Her head began to spin. He was thinking about her again?! How could she deal with this?  
  
"B-but I have school," she stammered out.  
  
"You could always write a report like last time, right?"  
  
His confident smile tempted her, and she knew she had to act now or she might accidentally say something she would regret.  
  
"I have to go now! There a test!"  
  
And with that she flung open the door and zoomed out as quickly as she could, panting in panic, her face matching her hair color as she rushed away from the lab and towards the school.  
  
Goh was left puzzled as he watched the door close before him. "Chloe...?" he asked quietly, furrowing his brow in confusion. He couldn't quiet grasp what happened 

Ash came out of the kitchen, a donut lazily hanging from his mouth as he saw Goh standing there. “I guess she’s not coming…?”

He shrugged. “I guess not. I thought for sure she’d be excited to see the Pidove…”

Ash slapped Goh’s back, grinning as he threw his arm around him. “Well, you said everyone relates to Pokémon in different ways, right? I’m sure she’s just doing things her way.”

“Guess you’re right,” Goh responded, laughing. “But my way is to catch every Pokémon, which means this is a great chance to catch a Pidove!”

Both of them jumped in the air together, shouting “Let’s go!”

* * *

“Ugggh, life is hard…”

Chloe groaned those words into her desk as she laid her head down, trying to not think about her stupid crush on her best friend.

She felt a poking at her shoulder to which she responded by looking up.

“If you’re not gonna eat your lunch, I’ll take it,” said Mika.

Mika was a girl in Chloe’s class with short blonde that went to the nape of her neck who loved Pokémon to death. She was dressed in the same school uniform that Chloe was, and ever since Goh stopped attending full-time to become a Pokémon Trainer, Mika was the closest friend she had here.

“Mika, I know I saw you snacking on your lunch during Math, you don’t need my lunch, too.”

At that, Chloe put her head back down.

Mika poked her again.

“Well yeah but your mom makes amazing lunches. It’d be a shame to let it go to waste, right?”

Chloe sighed, taking her lunch box out and opening it, revealing the sandwich and rice that were packed for her. She took the sandwich and took a bite of it, still not feeling particularly hungry.

Mika grabbed a chair from nearby and pulled it to Chloe’s desk. “C’mon, we can talk, you know? What’s on your mind? You’re normally always up answering questions and today you’ve barely said two words that weren’t muttered into your desk.”

Chloe groaned. “Well you see… it’s sort of complicated, you know?”

Mika frowned, watching Chloe eat her sandwich. “Well, explain it, brainiac! You’re the one who’s good at explaining stuff, you know? How bad can it be? Did Parker sneak into your room and take your stuff again?”

Chloe frowned, looking away. “It’s got nothing to do with Parker, it’s…” She went quiet.

Mika blinked in confusion. “…it’s what? Did Eevee run off? Is Yamper fighting with her?”

Chloe sat up in surprise. “What? No! Everything’s fine there!”

“Then why have you been zoned out all day?”

Chloe shank back. She looked around and saw that the classroom was still mostly empty. There were a few boys in the opposite back corner but if they were quiet, Chloe wouldn’t be overheard.

“…Mika, have you ever liked someone?”

Mika blinked, confused. “I like you? We’re friends?”

Chloe shook her head. “No, as in ‘more than friends’? Like you like them-like them.”

Mika blinked for a moment, and then her eyes widened and a wide smile grew on her face as the pieces clicked together in her mind. She stood up and leaned over Chloe’s desk

“OMIGOSH! Who is it? Who is it?! Who do you have a crush on?! Tell me!”

Chloe shushed her. “Shh! Shh! Not so loud! I’m trying to keep it a secret-“

“Is it Yeardly? Thomas? Who? Who?”

“It’s no one in class!” she spat back, cupping her mouth over Mika’s to quiet her excitable friend down. “Now chill out, please?”

Mika nodded, Chloe’s hand still covering her mouth.

The maroon-haired girl backed down, exhaling as she sat in her seat.

“I don’t see what the problem is, though,” Mika said, shrugging. “It’s a crush, right? You just tell them and if they like you back, great, and if they don’t, that’s okay too. I don’t get the big deal. You’re acting like this is a problem.”

Chloe laughed at herself. “Well once you know who it is, you’ll know why it’s a problem…”

Mika blinked, looking at her friend. “Oh my gosh. Is it me? Do you have a crush on me? I mean, I’m flattered and I-”

Chloe looked up at Mika, irritated. “No, Mika. It’s not you, either.”

There was a little disappointment on her face. “Then just say who it is?”

There was a pause as Chloe gathered her courage. “Okay, but you can’t say a word to anybody, and nothing about this online, either, okay? Promise me.”

“I promise, okay?” Mika said, brushing off her concerns with a flippant wave of her hand. “C’mon, who…?”

She lowered her head. “It’s… It’s Goh.”

Mika frowned. “Goh?”

“Goh.”

Mika sat back down.

“Goh. The guy you’ve known since like forever who used to take you into the forest looking for Mew? The guy who stopped coming to school and forced you to pick up his homework? That Goh.”

Chloe felt silly making such a big deal of it, but she nodded. “R-right. And hearing you like that, I can see why you’d be skeptical. But it’s weird, Mika. When I see him, it’s like I get dizzy and then he gets close and I can hardly think about anything other than how cool he looks or how bright his eyes are or-“

“Oh my gosh, you have it bad, Chloe,” Mika giggled, almost a full laugh. “I can’t believe you have a crush on Goh! I mean, I’d pretend to like him if I got to hang out with his Pokémon, but that’s just pretending…!”

Chloe put her head back down, groaning to herself.

“Well, what’s the big deal, still? Goh’s your friend, right? Just tell him and I’m sure he’ll let you down gently. Or maybe he even likes you, too. You never know, right?”

Chloe sighed. “You don’t get how complicated this situation is. I’ve been thinking about this all weekend.”

Chloe opened her notebook to where she had been diagraming the situation.

“Please say you’re joking.”

Mika wasn’t impressed as Chloe launched into her explanation.

“Okay, so right now Goh and I are just friends, and he works for my Dad as a research fellow. But what happens if I get feelings for him? Well, the problem with that is it could get in the way of Dad’s research, and that’s no good. But what’s even worse is what if I tell him?! He could freak out and not want to be my friend anymore! And then, either I won’t be able to come to the lab anymore out of shame, or Dad will have to kick him out! And it’s not Goh’s fault! He didn’t give me these stupid feelings! He shouldn’t be punished for what I feel… you know?”

While she was explaining all of this, she was scribbling all over her notebook, drawing arrows between the various parties and trying to explain her worries away. Mika just looked on, flabbergasted.

“…Okay? But you know Goh won’t be like that. You two have been friends forever. And sure, maybe it’ll be a little awkward to tell the guy who got you lost in the woods with and fell in the mud with you that you think he’s cute, but even if he doesn’t feel the same, he’ll be cool. We all know Goh, and you two get each other on a whole different level, you know? I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Chloe looked at the chaos in her notebook, frowning. “I’m not so sure…”

“Trust me,” Mika said. “You may be the Brainiac here, but I“-she struck a dramatic pose-“am the messenger of love. This is what I understand.”

Chloe still resisted. “Still-“

“You’re not going to be able to avoid him. You know that. Better to rip off the band-aid rather than letting it sit. That’s what my Mom always says when she’s gotta tell my Dad something.”

Chloe sighed. “Right…”

* * *

Maybe it was for the best that Chloe didn’t come, Goh thought to himself.

They found the Pidove flock easy enough, but what was waiting for them there wasn’t something he really felt like she would enjoy seeing.

“To protect the world from devastation!”

“To unite all peoples within our nation!”

“To denounce the evils of truth and love!”

“To extend our reach to the stars above!”

“Jessie!”

“And it’s James!”

“Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!”

“Two Twerps should surrender, ‘since you’ll be losing this fight!”

“Meowth! Dat’s right!”

“Waaaaahbuffet!”

Standing a short distance away, having just finished their motto, were the trio of Team Rocket agents that he and Ash would run into time and again.

“Team Rocket!” Ash shouted, almost growling. “Not you guys again!”

“Pipikachu!”

Jessie smirked. “Believe it, Twerp! And today’s the day you can say ta-ta to your precious Pikachu!”

“As soon as we heard on the news there was a rare Pokémon outbreak, we know it’d be too tempting for two tumultuous Twerps to traipse by! And so we sprang into action!”

Ash grunted. “The only action you guys are getting is gonna be us sending you packing again! Let’s go, Pikachu!”

Ash’s partner leapt from his shoulder and took a battle stance on the ground, his cheeks sparking. “Pika!”

Goh threw his own Poké Ball into the mix. “Cinderace, let’s go!” And in a flash, Goh’s partner was standing with Pikachu, ready to battle. “These guys are gonna pay for costing me a chance at catching a Pidove!”

Jessie wagged her finger at the boys. “Tisk tisk! Such brutish Twerps. I think they need an attitude adjustment!”

Jessie, James, and Meowth all raised their arms to the sky. “Come on down!”

Goh squinted at the sky. He could see a small speck flying high above the sky turn something over drop an object that was quickly falling to the ground.

He scowled at the device that fell, a robotic toy machine with a space for Meowth’s charm before it would dispense the ‘goods’.

“Hop to it, Meowth!” The lady Rocket ordered.

“Hippity Hoppity!” Meowth replied, hoping up and landing charm-first into the slot.

Jessie and James began to crank the machine. “It’s our-“

“Secret-“

“Rocket-“

“Prize Master!”

Two black Poké Balls with fang-like designs were dispensed, and the Rockets took the balls and gave them a toss.

The first revealed a purple winged Pokémon with a sharp, dangerous tail: “The Fang Scorpion Pokémon, Gliscor!”

The second opened, revealing a pink, white, and blue quadruped. “The Entwining Pokémon, Sylveon!”

“We can take ‘em!” Ash challenged, raising his fists.

“Right! Leave Gliscor to us!” Goh replied.

“Sylveon, use Moonblast!” James ordered.

“Gliscor, use Poison Jab!”

“Pikachu, Electroweb!”

“Cinderace, Blaze Kick!”

Sylveon drew upon the power of the moon before launching a glittering sphere of mystical force at Pikachu, but Ash’s partner was too quick on the draw. With a flip, he launched the blob of static electricity at the attack, which wrapped around and detonated it harmlessly away from him.

Meanwhile, Cinderace leapt forward, feet blazing with fire as he clashed against the glowing purple stinger of Gliscor.

“Double Kick, let’s go!”

“Pikachu, Quick Attack!”

“Sylveon, Fairy Wind!”

“Gliscor, Knock Off!”

Sylveon generated a sparkling wind that almost looked like whisps of cotton candy and flapped his ribbons at Pikachu, who quickly dodged around the attacks before crashing into the Fairy-Type, knocking him back. James gasped. “Oh no! Sylveon!”

Meanwhile, Gliscor was flailing wildly, attempting to knock Cinderace away, but Goh’s partner dodged in close and delivered two powerful kicks to the Ground-and-Flying-Type that knocked Gliscor across the ground before he stood back up on his tail.

“Enough of this twerpish trickery!” Jessie shouted, losing her patience. “Gliscor, Earthquake!”

“Say what?” James gasped. “Not now!”

“Jump now!”/”Jump now!”

Both Pikachu and Cinderace jumped at their trainer’s simultaneous command, and Gliscor brought his heavy claws into the ground, causing it to shake wildly. Not just the ground, but Ash, Goh, Jessie, James… even Meowth, Wobbuffet and the Prize Master were thrown off their feet.

Goh screamed out as he landed on his ankle crooked causing Cinderace to fall back in concern. “Cinder?”

The shaking also hurt Sylveon, who fell to the ground and was shaken into submission.

Ash saw his window. “Pikachu, Iron Tail on Gliscor!”

Spinning in the air, the Mouse Pokémon let out a loud “Chuuu PI-KA!” as he smashed his tail into the Fang Scorpion, knocking him backwards into the gathering Rockets who were already tending to Sylveon.

“Send ‘em flying, buddy! Thunderbolt!”

Pikachu slapped his cheeks, crackling with savage electricity as he leapt into the air before discharging a Thunderbolt worthy of stealing. The electricity collided with Team Rocket, and they screamed out before the attack exploded, sending them skyward, Prize Master and all.

While they were flying, James grabbed Jessie by the collar. “Why did you use Earthquake?! You know it hits everyone and everything on the ground in a battle, don’t you?!”

Jessie laughed. “Eheh..whoops! Guess it slipped my mind!”

“I’ve got a mind to give you a piece of mine for that!”

Meowth sighed. “Dere’s a reason dey nevah let us use dis move on da show…”

“They what?”

“WAAAHBUFFET!”

“We’re blasting off again….!”

There’s a twinkle in the sky behind Ash as he and Pikachu turned to Goh. “Hey, are you alright?”

Cinderace was already helping him to his feet, but the pain was evident on his face. “When Team Rocket did that attack, I think I sprained my ankle when I fell…”

Ash frowned. “Ah, man… C’mon, let’s get back to the lab and get you a nice place to rest.”

“Thanks, man,” Goh said, trying to smile through his pain as Ash and Cinderace took his shoulders and helped him walk back into Vermilion City.

* * *

"Well... it's now or never..."  
  
Chloe took in a deep breath before exhaling. She was standing in front of the doors to the lab willing herself the courage to talk to Goh. It would really be the only way to clear the air and explain why she was acting so weird this morning.  
  
"This is Goh..." She told herself. "Once I explain things, he'll understand and we'll go right back to being friends. Nothing bad will happen."  
  
She took in another deep breath and exhaled. Then she finally opened the door and stepped inside.  
  
"I'm home~!"  
  
Yamper was waiting at the door for her, seated obediently. She kneeled down and began to pet him while simultaneously letting Eevee out of her Poké Ball.  
  
"I'm gonna need a lot of courage for this..." she said to them. “Thanks, you two.”  
  
She stood and began walking towards the lab's main room, her steps feeling heavy.  
  
When she stepped inside, she was a bit taken back at what she saw.  
  
Everyone was crowded around the couch in the corner, looking at Goh sitting there with a bag of ice on his foot. He didn't look like he was in pain; more like he was annoyed that everyone was floating around him.

“Now you’ll have to stay off of it at least until morning,” Chrysa warned, wagging her finger. “If that means Ash or Cinderace have to help you around, then so be it.”

Goh rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. I know.” Looking over, he caught Chloe looking at him and gave her a wave and a smile. “Hey! Guess we didn’t hear you come in.”

The group stepped away from Goh and acknowledged Chloe. “Welcome back from school,” her father said, nodding. “Did you have a good day?”

“Better than what happened to him…” she said, frowning. “What happened?”

Ash stepped up. “When we went to go see all those Pidove, we were there for like a second before BLAM! Team Rocket showed up, tryin’ ta catch Pikachu! So Goh and I gave ‘em a WHAM! BAM! And sent them on their way!”

Chloe sighed. “And just _how_ does that explain anything?”

“Team Rocket’s Pokémon used an Earthquake attack,” Goh explained calmly. “It shook the ground and I twisted my ankle when I fell. It’s just a sprain, so I’ll be fine after some rest.”

Ren turned to her as well. “Ash and Cinderace were coming in her carrying him. They didn’t actually get back until recently.”

“Oh I almost forgot!” Goh said, trying to sit up. “I forgot I need to go feed all the Pokémon in Cerise Park!”

Ash rubbed his stomach. “Oh yeah, it’s just about dinner time! I almost forgot myself.”

Chloe frowned. “Well, you’re not going to go feed anyone, Goh. You’re off your feet.”

“Ren and I can step in,” Chrysa offered calmly. “We handle it on days Ash and Goh are in another region anyway, so what’s one more day?”

Ren groaned. “Well, if the Professor can take me home since I’ll miss the bus…”

“That sounds perfect,” Professor Cerise said with a chuckle. “Let’s all go and feed them and maybe get something to eat on the way! What do you say?”

Ash pumped his fists. “I say ‘Alright!’ How about you, buddy?”

Pikachu pumped his tiny fists as well. “Pika Pikachu!”

With that, everyone began filing out of the room to go to the park. Everyone but Goh and Chloe. It took a few moments but she finally realized what had just happened and she turned to look at him. He looked almost embarrassed, a bashful blush on his cheeks. “Sorry, Chloe. Guess you’ll be headed home late and it’s my fault.”

She sat down on the couch across from him, the furthest she could sit given its curved nature that went around the corner of the room.

“It’s not your fault,” she said. “It was Team Rocket. Besides, who cares about getting home early when you’re hurt like this?”

Goh shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. I must look pretty uncool right about now, stuck here like this.”

“I don’t think you’re uncool,” she said, the words slipping out of her mouth completely on accident. She paused and looked away, knowing that the color added to her face would be a clear giveaway. “I-I mean, you’re always exactly as cool as you always are. This didn’t change anything.”

It was a fumble more than it was a save, but Goh didn’t seem to notice. “I guess you were right in not coming, though, or it could have been both of us with twisted ankles right about now, huh?” He smirked at her, which she caught sight of in her green eyes. His confident grin made her face warm up in spite of herself.

It was now that she remembered what she was planning on talking to him about this entire time. Mika’s advice of ripping off the bandage seemed so far away now. _I can’t spring this on Goh now of all times,_ she thought. _He’s trapped here and he really can’t run away… I can’t do that to someone who’s injured…_

She sighed. She’d have to find another opportunity.

“I guess based on Ash’s story you didn’t have a chance to catch any new Pokémon, either?” she said, trying to change the subject.

Goh shook his head. “No, and I wished I got a chance. I’d love to be showing off my new Pidove right about now.”

She snickered. “Well, right now, the only thing you’re showing off is your foot.”

“Ha-ha,” he said, mockingly. “The swelling’s almost all the way gone, I bet. I’ll be back in action before you know it.”

She looked at him, a gentle smile on her lips. “Well… as long as you’re off your feet, do you want me to get you anything? A book, or the TV remote?”

“A snack?” he asked. “I haven’t eaten since breakfast…”

She stood. “I’ll whip you up something really quick then. Don’t go anywhere, okay?”

And with that, she turned and left him lying there.

“…was that a joke?” he asked no one in particular.

In the kitchen, Chloe began looking for something he could snack on, just a little, but other than a few prepackaged things, there really wasn’t anything there to eat that was ready to go. “If he hasn’t eaten since breakfast, he must be hungry…”

Snooping around a bit more, she found a package of instant ramen noodles. She wasn’t sure if it was something they usually stocked up on, or something Renji brought in and left, but she would take advantage of it. She began boiling the noodles pretty quickly, but looking at the packaging and back at the plain looking noodles, she frowned. “This isn’t anything, really… maybe I should add a few things to make it a bit heartier. I mean, he must be hungry, right…?”

Chloe went to the fridge and took out a carrot, some celery, onions, and a block of tofu that Mr. Mime had probably set aside to cook with later.

She’d apologize next time she saw the Pokémon.

From his spot in the lab, Goh sat listening as he goofed off on his phone. “She’s making an awful lot of noise for walking in to find me a snack…” he thought out loud.

Then he smelled the soup that was being made.

“…hey that’s pretty good…”

He felt his stomach growl.

A few moments later, Chloe came back with a big bowl of ramen noodles, with several sliced carrots, onions, celery, and pieces of tofu floating in the soup. “I…may have gone a bit overboard, but you said you hadn’t eaten since breakfast so I thought you’d need more than just noodles and soup.

Goh took the chopsticks Chloe provided and put the bowl in his lap before he began slurping the noodles.

“…!”

He paused for only a moment before he began eating in earnest.

Chloe just watched him eat, a little embarrassed. It wasn’t until Goh sat the empty bowl down on the table, chopsticks across the top that she realized what she had done in the name of helping him.

She had just cooked for him, and he ate every bite and practically licked the bowl clean.

“That was delicious! Did you throw that together in just that short time?”

Chloe’s entire face felt like it was burning now. “Y-Yeah! I did. I just… y’know, thought you needed something good.”

“Good? That was amazing! Best soup I’ve had in a long time!”

His wide, artless smile made her heart skip a beat. He liked her cooking…?

“I-I’m glad you liked it,” she said, shyly.

Only now did she look up and notice Yamper and Eevee were missing. She realized that they probably went with her father and the others and were eating. Looking around, she also noticed that Cinderace was nowhere to be seen, either.

They really were alone.

“Seriously, you’re a lifesaver, Chloe,” Goh said, interrupting her thoughts. “I was starving! Thank you.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “Well, whether its homework or home cooking, I’m always helping you out, right? This isn’t any different than how it’s always been with us. We’ve always been together, helping each other out.”

“And we always will be!” he said offering her a high five, like he did with Cinderace.

Chloe smiled, blushing. She wondered why he didn’t seem to notice that her face had been red for a while. But she returned the high five. “Y-Yeah. I hope so, too.”

Goh felt something strange when his skin touched hers, and there was a thought that came to him immediately.

_‘Her hands are so small… and soft._ ’

He shook his head, not understanding where the thought came from. He looked at her and blinked in confusion.

‘ _Have her eyes always looked like that?’_

There was something in them that he hadn’t noticed before, like tiny sparks of green flame hidden beneath the surface. It didn’t take him long before he realized her was staring at her face.

Chloe blinked, her face flushed. “G-Goh…?”

He looked away, trying to figure out something to say.

‘ _What am I doing?’_ he thought.

Maybe there was something in that soup.

“WHAAAAT?!”

Ash’s voice rang out over them, making them both very conspicuously look away from each other. But the Pallet Town boy’s eyes were only focused on one thing.

“You had a bowl of soup?! How come I can’t have any…?! I’m starving and feeding everyone took forever!”

Ren and Chrysa came back in to get their belongings to go home, but now everyone’s attention was on the two that had stayed behind. Chloe felt her face heating up to the point where she had to stand up and get away.

Her father was getting his jacket on as she stood up. “Oh, there you are, Chloe!” he said, somewhat surprised. “Let’s get in the car and get something to eat before we go home.”

Chloe cautiously nodded. “R-right. I’ll head there now.” As she began to walk away, she felt something tugging at her chest, so she stopped and turned back to Goh, who was looking back at her with his clear blue eyes. It almost looked like there was something he had to say to her, too.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, they both felt like there was a secret message being transmitted between the two of them.

Goh felt his heart leap into his chest.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Goh,” she said, as though the words brought an end to the eternity they had shared that truly only lasted a few seconds. “Good night.”

As she quickly stepped away, all he could manage to say was “Good night, Chloe.”

Yamper and Eevee were playing in the hall as Chloe walked past, making them step away from Cinderace, Sobble, and Pikachu and begin to follow her out. The Striker and the small Water-Type looked at each other, feeling like there was something off about her as she passed.

The adults then all passed by, with Ash scooping up Pikachu and taking him to the kitchen to bother Mr. Mime into making him some soup, so the two remaining Pokémon walked back into the lab’s main room.

Goh was sitting there when they came in, opening and closing the palm he had touched against Chloe’s trying to piece together the pieces in his mind about what just happened.

“C’mon, Goh, data collection and analysis are your strong points…” he muttered to himself.

“Derace?”

“Sobble…?”

He stroked his chin as he thought to himself, trying to put all the pieces together. How soft and small her hand felt. How her eyes looked like they were sparkling emerald flames. Even how tasty the soup was when he got it from her.

“Why did Chloe go through so much effort for me…? I mean, it’s still a bit much to do even for just friends isn’t it? She even made me this soup… and stayed with me here”

He suddenly flashed back to the poacher’s crooked smirk.

_“Is she your girlfriend?”_

He looked at his hand again. “Her hand felt so soft… it made me… made me feel like I had to protect it. No, that’s not it…”

He closed his eyes and tried to focus, but he could only see her smile and her dazzling green eyes.

_“Is she your girlfriend?”_

“Why do I keep thinking about that? Chloe’s not my girlfriend,” he said, chuckling to himself.

But the weight that appeared in his stomach felt much heavier than the tasty soup she made him.

“…Wait.”

He looked at his hand again.

“…it’s… like I wanted to keep feeling her hand here. Pressed against mine.”

He felt his cheeks warm up as the realization washed over him.

“Oh no. No no no.”

This was bad. This was very bad.

“I-I can’t have a crush on Chloe…! She’s my best friend! And I work for her dad! What if I make it awkward?! What if I end up getting kicked out because of this? Then there’s no way I’ll be able to catch every Pokémon, and my dream of catching Mew goes up in smoke!”

Now he was running his hands through his hair, trying to come up with some sort of solution. But behind his clinched eyes, he could only see Professor Cerise’s daughter smiling and handing him that bowl of ramen noodle soup

Did he really have a crush on the professor’s daughter? His childhood friend going back years?

Ash stuck his head back in the room, both he and Pikachu with various pieces of a loaf of bread in their mouths.

“You okay, Goh?”

“Life is hard, Ash… and it’s only going to get harder from here on…”


	4. Different Wavelengths

_He was running through the bushes, heading deeper and deeper into the trees._

_“Goh? Slow down! I can’t keep up!”_

_The voice was familiar, if a little more high pitched than in his memories._

_His body turned automatically, and he saw Chloe there, catching up to him, age 6. She doubled over, panting heavily after chasing him this far, the small Pokémon Yamper following her closely as she did._

_“It’s gotta be over this way,” he said to her. “Yeardley said he heard from his dad who works at the port that this is where they saw Mew! It’s just gotta be over here!”_

_Chloe frowned. “Are you sure he wasn’t just lying to you again? You know wild Pokémon live out here…”_

_He pointed at her. “Yeah, and that’s why we have Yamper with us to scare ‘em off!”_

_The puppy squeezed between her legs. “Yamp! Yamp!”_

_Goh kneeled down reaching over and petting the Electric-Type. “Good boy, Yamper! You’ll keep me and Chloe safe, right?”_

_“Yamper!” He wagged his tail at the boy._

_Chloe pouted. “Sometimes I feel like you’re only friends with me because Yamper likes me…”_

_Goh felt a stab through his chest at the insinuation._

_The child here kept moving and shook his head. “That’s not true! We’re friends because you’re the only one who sticks with me! The only other true believer!”_

_She sighed. “I saw Mew with you that day. We both did. So please, calm down. If it’s out here, you might scare it off.”_

_He paused and laughed. “S-Sorry… But it’s the truth! We were friends before we saw Mew, and we’re gonna be friends after I catch it myself!”_

_Chloe shrugged. “Alright but let’s be careful, okay? And we can’t go that far, you know my parents wouldn’t want us going that far away…”_

_Goh smirked. “Your Dad’s happy as long as you get out of the house and see the outside and my parents are happy as long as I’m not by myself! Now c’mon!”_

_“Goh!”_

_He grabbed her by the hand and lead her deeper, Yamper joyously trailing behind them, thinking this was some big game. Goh tripped and now the two of them were giggling, rolling down a hill. Yamper rolled as well._

_Now they were laying in the grass next to the pond they had found north of the city. The forest was gone._

_“Hey, Goh?” Chloe asked. She was a little older now. “What are you going to do if you see Mew?”_

_He looked over at her. “What do you mean?”_

_“I mean, it’s not like we can battle it.”_

_“I’ll just ask it to be my friend!”_

_“That won’t work. It didn’t even stop for us last time.”_

_“C’mon, it worked with you, didn’t it? And we’re friends!”_

_“Yeah, and you never come to school.”_

_The scene jumped around on him again. Just how much time was passing? Goh was losing track._

_Chloe stood there in her school uniform, hands on her hips. “You blew me off again!”_

_He backed up, almost tripping over Scorbunny who clung to the back of his leg. “I’m a trainer now, Chloe. You know that means I’m really busy. Besides, I’m learning so much about Pokémon from your Dad and Ash. I promise, we just didn’t think the trip back from Galar was going to take that long!”_

_She scowled at him, but he could see the hurt in her eyes. “Pokémon, huh? I guess that’s always been all you care about.”_

_“Hey, that’s not fair,” he shot back. “It’s not my fault you grew so cold to them. Pokémon are amazing. I mean, just look at Yamper, there. When he runs, he builds electricity in his chest, but he expels it from the shape on his tail. That’s really interesting, isn’t it?”_

_Yamper himself was laying on his back, dozing on the couch here in the lab’s study._

_The hurt on her face increased. “I’m cold, huh…?”_

_He groaned, realizing too late he put his foot into his mouth. “Chloe, I didn’t mean it-“_

_“I have homework to do, so goodbye, Goh. Enjoy your Pokémon.” As she walked out of the room, he chased her._

_Now they were standing by a small pool. Chloe was dressed in her swimsuit, and they were looking at one of Parker’s friends and her Feebas._

_With a smug, self-assured tone he looked at her. “And here I thought you weren’t interested in Pokémon...”_

_She glared at him for a second, turning her head away from him, her face flushed with embarrassment, caught red-handed. “Now, just be quiet,” she snapped. “Seeing Jinny work so hard like this… who wouldn’t want to cheer her on?”_

_Goh knew, though. After all the years together, he knew her better than she knew herself, and he knew she was excited to see what was coming next._

_“I really hope she wins this.”_

_The words transported him forward in time again. The sun was beating down hard, but the really stressful thing was Team Rocket right in front of them._

_“Pelipper, Wing Attack!”_

_“Yamper, use Spark!”_

_Team Rocket had come to the school to steal the Pokémon there, and now the only ones who could fight back were Chloe, Yamper, and Eevee._

_And while he was surprised that Eevee wanted to battle, he had complete faith in Chloe. She’d only battled a few times, but she was smart and could hold her own._

_They really had been together through everything._

* * *

He opened his eyes, looking at the bottom of the bunk bed above him. It was morning, and his Rotom Phone had failed to wake him.

The pieces were falling back into place. He couldn’t get up into the top bunk because he’d sprained his foot against Team Rocket the day before, so he and Ash traded (for one night only, Goh was adamant about reminding him). And he had gone to sleep reading back into his text message history with Chloe, going back as far as he got the Rotom put into this phone, looking for some sort of clue.

“That explains the dream, I guess.”

“Good morning, Goh!”

Ash was stretching, already dressed for the day. Pikachu was standing on the writing desk in the room, doing the same stretches as Ash did them.

“Good morning, Ash. Sorry I slept in a bit.”

“Well, don’t worry. I got up only a little bit ago, so we can’t be that late.”

Goh looked at his phone and did a double take.

“Ash, the lab opened an hour ago.”

Ash frowned. “Weird. Doesn’t Chloe normally wake us if we oversleep /this/ late?”

Goh groaned. Was she avoiding him? Then what was that about last night? He twisted and stood up, making sure to test his ankle before putting weight on it.

“Looks like you’re good to go,” Ash said with a grin. “Glad to see you back in action!”

Goh held up a fist, and Ash bumped him back. “Glad to be back.”

Speaking of Ash, though… he’d traveled all around the world a few times. He’d dropped stories about his travels here and there, and he had a ton of friends (if the group in Alola was any indication). Maybe he had an idea?

Goh was in the bathroom brushing his teeth as these thoughts entered his mind. Ash was waiting in the hallway as he stepped out. “Hey, Ash? Can I ask a kind of weird question?”

He blinked back, some concern on his face. “What’s up?”

Goh felt his embarrassment rise to his cheeks. Thankfully, there was no way Chloe would be in earshot unless she was going to be late to school.

“Well, do you know how to tell if a girl likes you?”

Ash blinked dumbly. “Like wants to be your friend?”

“Pikachu?” Pikachu’s expression mirrored Ash’s.

“No, like if she thinks you’re really something special. Like an extra special friend. Or like you’re her boyfriend or something.”

“Has she kissed you?”

Goh balked, the color draining from his face. “WHAT?! NO! WHY WOULD YOU EVEN ASK THAT?!”

Ash put his arms behind his head casually. “Well that’s the only way I figured it out. It’ll be harder otherwise.”

“Do I even _WANT_ to know what sort of things have happened to you?”

“Well one time it was a Pokémon. I think? Maybe? But one was definitely a girl!”

“I’m gonna need you to focus, Ash!”

He chuckled to himself. “Sorry. My bad.” Turning the corner and going down stairs with Goh, he blinked in his direction. “But why are you askin’ that? You think someone likes you like that?”

The city boy crossed his arms. “I’m… not sure? I didn’t even think that I might like her like that until really recently… What did you do when you figured out that a girl liked you?”

Ash blinked dumbly in Goh’s direction. “Nothing? Either I or they were on their way somewhere else so we just kinda split ways.” He pumped his fists as they entered the kitchen where a stern Mimey was standing, wondering where they had been and why they were late for breakfast. “But I’m sure when I meet them again, I’ll be ready for it!”

“This… isn’t very helpful…” Goh sighed.

Their conversation was paused for a few moments as they prepared their plates of food and sat down.

“Well, you said you weren’t even sure if she liked you, right?” Ash asked, between bites of bread. “I can’t help ya there. I had to be told.”

“I still find it hard to believe you of all people had a girlfriend.”

Ash blinked. “I never said that. I just said that I know girls liked me.”

He sighed. “This is just as pointless as can be then, isn’t it?”

“But you’re really smart, Goh!” Ash said. “You figure out all sorts of stuff all the time. You see, whenever I get stuck on something, I just try to think of it like a Pokémon Battle, and everything starts to fall into place. You just get fired up and feel it get all bubbly and boily and KABLAM!” – Ash hit his fist against the table, making their cups rattle – “And then I’ve got it all figured out!”

Goh rolled his eyes. “I don’t think like that, though. And I’m not sure rushing in recklessly is such a good move in this case.”

“Well, figure it out how you normally figure stuff out then!” Ash offered. “Like I said, you’re really smart and you figure out stuff all the time! If my way doesn’t work for you, that’s fine! Because you’ll figure it out your way!”

Suddenly it felt a bit more manageable. Ash’s confidence was rubbing off on him. “Right. I will figure this out! It’s for my future, and I hold my future in the palm of my hand!”

* * *

It was the coward’s way out, she knew, but when she heard that Ash and Goh were still asleep, she knew that was her opportunity to escape without seeing him. Even as Chloe’s chest ached at the thought, she knew that there wouldn’t be any opportunity to talk to him in the morning with Ash and her Dad hanging around. So she fed Yamper and left for school, not even leaving as much as a note for anyone.

Of course, Mika wanted to know if she had told Goh about her feelings, but when she explained about the situation she came home to, she just squealed in delight.

“HE ATE THE SOUP YOU MADE HIM?! That’s adorable. You’re adorable, Chloe.”

“Shhh!”

The day was spent fielding questions and avoiding comments like that from Mika.

“You’ve got to tell him! Gosh, to be so head-over-heels that you’d cook for him? I bet the secret spice was l-o-v-e!”

Chloe’s face burned and she scowled back at her friend. “Quiet! Someone’s gonna notice and I just know it’ll make its way back to him!”

To that, Mika would giggle and turn away and pretend to pay more attention to whatever was happening in class for a few moments before asking again. Not that she believed Mika’s attempts at subterfuge were being successful. She’d seen a few girls giggling at her as she walked by during the day. No doubt her crush on Goh was the source of their mockery. She tried to put it out of her mind, but at least the thought that she had accepted that she held feelings for him was a comfort, however small.

But the school day ended, as school days often do and Chloe was starting her walk off the school grounds when she saw a familiar face sitting at a public bench, slouched lazily down and scrolling through something on his phone, Sobble visible on his shoulder.

“G-Goh…?”

She whispered it and must not have been heard by anyone but the girls walking past her, giggling.

She would definitely have a talk with Mika later.

The blonde herself came up behind Chloe and whispered in her ear. “Good luck, Chloe. Go get ‘im!”

Chloe blushed and was shoved towards the crosswalk as it shifted to ‘walk’. She resigned herself to talking to him directly, since it was the only way out of this situation that she could see, and it wasn’t like anyone else would be overhearing her talk if they were quiet.

Goh didn’t even notice her approach. “What are you doing here?” she asked, her tone maybe a bit more acrid than she intended.

“Oh, hey Chloe!” he said, the sunshine in his smile not dimmed a bit. “I wanted to talk to you as soon as you got out of school!”

She raised an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you just text me and ask me to call you or something?”

Goh laughed, deflecting the question. “C’mon, don’t be like that. Of course I’d want to see my friend again.”

She lowered her eyelids. “And you know I would be headed home after school, too.”

He looked away, up at the tree planted along the roadside. “So anyway I just thought it’d be cool if it was just the two of us, you know? I feel like we don’t really hang out as much as we used to and it’d be cool to spend some time together again. Wh-What do you say?”

She saw the nervousness on his face as it reddened. Was this something Ash put him up to? There was no way that Mika had told him about her feelings.

The offer was very tempting, too. Just the two of them? A glance at Sobble meant that it was them plus Pokémon, an idea that was something she was warming to more and more.

And talking with him privately could definitely give her a chance to clear the air.

“Sure,” she said, hands behind her back. “I’d really like the chance to spend more time with you, too.”

It came out a little awkward, but she didn’t want to explain EVERYTHING on the side of the street. That’d look bad on both of them. She reached into her pocket and let out Eevee before picking her up and putting her on her shoulder like Sobble rode on Goh’s. The Evolution Pokémon quickly got with the picture and began mimicking the Water Lizard’s stance.

Internally, Goh was overjoyed that she’d accepted his offer. He had taken a lot of time to consider just how to figure out how she felt about him, and following Ash’s advice, he decided to think about it like if he was trying to catch a Pokémon. And one of the most important parts of catching was information gathering. What kinds of moves did they use? Where did they live? Would they fight or work to escape detection?

He would just take these concepts and rework them to understanding Chloe better.

He stood up. “There’s this café a few blocks from here that has some great reviews online. I thought it’d be a nice place to stop and chat. So c’mon!”

With a nod, Chloe began following him as he followed the map on his phone. The sidewalk wasn’t incredibly busy, but there were folks walking to and from stores, and students from other schools walking along did make it difficult to walk side by side at times as they let older people have the right of way.

But as he walked with her, swinging her arms near hers, Goh’s mind turned back towards the thoughts he had yesterday.

_‘Her hands felt so soft… Maybe it’d be alright if I held onto them while we were walking there.’_

He wasn’t even looking at the map anymore, just her hands as a group of businessmen came towards them.

They had to move anyway, right?

Goh reached for Chloe’s hand, prompting a gasp in surprise as he did. He stepped back and pulled her with him, making her stumble slightly as they moved out of the way of the adults.

His mind was just on how small her hand felt in his, and how soft her fingers were. But more than that, there was warmth there, like her hand was good to be held. He felt his face burn, and he looked away from her to avoid putting his own feelings on full display.

Chloe, meanwhile, barely registered that there were businessmen at all, feeling Goh’s hand take hers firmly, but gently as he pulled her to the side. They were bigger than hers, something she didn’t realize until just now, and there was a strength in them that probably came from his left-handed tossing of Poké Balls for going on months at this point. But that strength was firm, controlled, and comforting. Goh’s strength made her feel safe.

If Goh looked at her, he’d see her wildly blushing face, contrasting with her bright green eyes. But Chloe only saw the back of his head, and the men passed.

Goh didn’t want to let go of her hand, but he didn’t want to seem like a weirdo and scare her off, so he let it go, missing the warmth almost immediately. Chloe, too, felt a tiny bit more vulnerable to not be touching him directly anymore.

Eevee and Sobble seemed none the wiser, happily perched on their trainer’s shoulders.

Goh put his hand behind his head. “Sorry. Just-“

“-It’s alright, I-“

Once they realized they were talking over each other, they just stopped and quietly laughed to themselves.

“C’mon, we’re almost there, Chloe.”

She nodded, smiling, feeling the tension in her break ever so slightly. And indeed, it wasn’t much farther at all.

It was called ‘Gratitude Café SHAYMIN’, named after the Mythical Pokémon written about in Sinnoh. Goh had looked for places nearby, and this café had a 5 star rating for its comfortable and soothing atmosphere. The building had plants growing on the roof to mimic the look of a Shaymin, though obviously on the scale that could comfortably sit humans inside. It was the perfect place to just talk with his friend Chloe and observe her body language to see what information he could glean.

Chloe gasped. “Oh, those are so pretty!”

Sitting in a flower pot out front were several pink flowers with six petals each. The colors were deeper at the ends of the petals and became pinker as they came together.

“I wonder what kind of flower they are?” she asked.

Goh aimed his Rotom Phone at the flowers, which took a quick picture and compared it to other data it had access to. “Gracidea Flowers,” spoke the voice from his phone. “These flowers are native to the Sinnoh Region and are often given to others as gifts to express gratitude. They are tied in oral lore of the Sinnoh Region to the Gratitude Pokémon, Shaymin.”

Chloe stepped closer as the Phone spoke, smiling as she did. She was standing very close to Goh as she looked at the screen. “That’s a Shaymin? It’s so cute.”

“It’s a Mythical Pokémon,” Goh explained, moving his head closer to hers, speaking in a quiet, calm tone. “Like Mew. Lots of people think that they’re just part of a story or that they’re not around anymore. But if Mew exists, then I'm sure Shaymin does, too.”

She nodded, and then looked at Goh. She opened her mouth to say something, but she was taken aback by the gentle glee in his blue eyes and just how close they were. They weren’t touching, but they were definitely within each other’s personal space.

Her brain framed how they were standing in her mind and let her think about how it must look from the outside. A couple huddled together looking through a phone together? That’s how she’d interpret it.

She didn’t want to step away. She wanted to stay this close.

“I hope you get to meet Shaymin one day,” she whispered.

Goh looked over and saw her face so close to his and stepped away, smiling. He tried to analyze what had happened. Was she being nosey? Genuinely curious about the flowers? Was there something more?

It wasn’t something he could confirm at this point, so he decided to just move on. “Let’s get inside.”

Chloe, thankful for the reprieve from his proximity (as much as she now missed it) nodded and followed him inside.

Much like the outside, the inside of the café was themed around Shaymin, pictures of the Pokémon adorning the menu and appearing on the outfits of the staff. Even the case at the front of the store had Shaymin themed cakes and other sweets, along with more traditional looking faire.

“Welcome in!” the woman behind the counter said, greeting Goh and Chloe as they entered. “How may we help you today?”

“I’ll take a bubble tea, please,” Chloe said. “And a cookie… one of those.” She pointed to a cookie decorated to look like a Gracidea flower in the case.

Goh came closer and looked at the case. “Oh, is that white chocolate cake? Could I get a slice of that?”

Chloe looked at Goh, blinking. “A slice of cake?”

He grinned widely. “White chocolate is my favorite, and I guess I haven’t had any for a while so I was kinda craving it, you know?” He turned back to the girl taking their order. “Oh, and a hot barley tea, please.” Goh reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and put a bill on the counter.

“Goh, you didn’t have to get mine-“

“Your Dad pays me for my work, so it’s fine,” he says, putting on a smug, self-satisfied grin. “I’ve definitely got more money than an ordinary student.”

She glowered at him, rubbing it in like that.

“Gee, thanks.”

The sarcasm cut into him and he recoiled. Chloe walked past him and went to find a table, leaving Goh to share an embarrassed look at the woman behind the counter as she walked off without him.

Sobble blinked. “Sob?”

Chloe sat fuming in a booth in the back, away from windows (where people could see her sitting with Goh) and other patrons (who could overhear her talking with Goh). She just wanted to say her piece and go back to being friends, not worrying about how nice his hand felt, or how bright his eyes were when she was close to him outside.

“No,” she said, placing Eevee on the table. “He’s just a dorky boy who wouldn’t have a thought like that in his head no matter what.” She pouted at the Normal-Type, who mimicked her expression and pouted right back. “Pretends to be all cool and smart and then acts like a total dork and try to impress me and-“

Eevee kept pouting but as Chloe spoke her face began heating up again. She put her head down, confusing her Evolution Pokémon.

As Eevee pawed at the back of her head, Goh finally arrived with the tray with their snacks and drinks. She pulled Eevee to the side and saw two additional small bowls on it.

“I figured you forgot, what with me acting silly up there, but I made sure to get Eevee and Sobble some snacks, too,” he said as he sat down, putting his arm on the table to allow Sobble to walk off and towards the food. Goh’s Water-Type scrambled down and began taking pieces of Pokémon Food into his small claws and popping them into his mouth. Eevee moved closer and began eating from her bowl as well.

Goh smiled. With the Pokémon taking the ‘bait’, as it were, now he could focus fully on Chloe. He’d watch carefully and hopefully come out ahead.

As Chloe took a bite from her flower shaped cookie and a drink from her bubble tea, she was struck about what this looked like and once again glad that she chose a place away from prying eyes.

The two of them, eating together, seated in a booth in the back directly across from each other?

A casual observer would say that they were on a date.

And her mind registering this point was enough to make her entire face burn red. The subtleties of the situation were lost on Goh, however, who had his goal in his mind and wouldn’t allow himself to be distracted from it. First, open conversation to get her comfortable.

“So, you didn’t have anything to do after school today?” he asked, leaning back in the booth and spreading his arm out across the back of the booth he was sitting in.

“A little homework,” she said, sipping her bubble tea. “Nothing out of the ordinary…” Another sip. “I was going to look into maybe helping in the school garden again, but I didn’t want to keep Eevee cooped up inside her ball for much longer.”

Eevee popped her head up and smiled, happy to be the center of attention.

“You’re taking great care of her,” Goh said. “Her fur’s so much softer and glossier than it looked when you got her from the Research Lab and they weren’t exactly slouching on it.”

She giggled. “I spoil her and Yamper both. They usually climb into my bed and sleep right alongside me.”

“Cinderace and I used to do the same thing! But now he’s a bit too big for that. And I mean literally. I’m sure if the bed was bigger, he’d probably sleep right next to me, too!”

They both laughed at the thought, but Goh turned to Sobble. “But I’m fine with him spending more time with Sobble. I’m glad he has such a reliable big brother.”

Chloe nodded. “He used to cry all the time, right? I’m glad to see Cinderace has been a good influence on him! Yamper acts as a big brother for Eevee, but I think that may just be making her act more spoiled.”

“Are you kidding?” Goh asked. “Yamper’s awesome! He’s loyal, and hardworking, and strong when he helps protect you! Eevee’s got an awesome big brother, and that just shows how much you two love each other!”

The subject of ‘love’ coming up put Chloe on defense. She looked down, her face red. “Right. I think so, too.”

Goh saw her expression close off after he dropped the ‘l-word’, though and frowned. Was she not into the idea? Maybe she didn’t like him as much as he thought.

“But uh…” she stammered, “I’m glad you’re feeling better. When I saw you yesterday, I guess I was worried.”

This piqued the boy’s interest. He didn’t bring up the topic at all. She was worried? About him? He swallowed, trying not to act _too_ interested in what she was saying. “You were?”

Chloe nodded, looking more at her bubble tea or the napkin where the cookie used to sit than anything else. “Y-Yeah,” she said, tripping over the word. “You were the hardest one to see in that whole crowd, and I felt bad about blowing you off when I left that morning…”

Goh, try as he might to be neutral, felt his heart melting. “H-Hey, don’t feel bad about that. How many times have I left you high and dry when you were only trying to help me out? Besides, it’s not like you could have stopped Team Rocket from using that move, and you might have gotten hurt, too. I’d hate it if something like that happened to you.”

Her heart was pounding in her chest. He’s just glad she’s not hurt. Her mind went back to Cinderace defending her from the rampaging Nidoking a few days ago, and how quickly he stepped up to protect her.

She felt warm and safe in this moment.

“Thank you, Goh.”

The words were like a jolt of energy through him. He had to focus, but her gratitude and the cute way she was sitting there and her bright green eyes were just driving him to distraction.

He could easily see where he stood. He was crazy about her. He just needed to say something.

“Goh, there’s something I kind of wanted to talk to you about.”

But she beat him to the punch, so he sat back and looked at her.

“Okay, what is it, Chloe?”

She took in a deep breath. She still wasn’t sure how she’d admit it to him, that she thought he looked cool and handsome and how thankful she was that he thought so highly of their friendship, but before the thoughts could jumble themselves together in her head, she had to lead into it simply.

“I was thinking about the other day. Where we went to confront that poacher. I… I’m sorry. I have to apologize. I lied to you.”

Goh blinked in confusion. “You… lied? What do you mean?”

“I… didn’t get there just after you all beat up that poacher guy. I was there pretty early. You and Cinderace were already fighting when I arrived. And I-“

“You don’t have to apologize about staying back,” he said, maybe a bit too quickly. “You haven’t had a real battle yet, and keeping Eevee and Yamper safe even if you wanted to help isn’t anything to be sorry for.”

She pouted, a motion Eevee began mimicking again. “That’s not it…

He sighed. “Sorry… What were you going to say?”

“I was just going to say that I watched from the bushes and… I heard what you said about friendship.”

Goh gasped. Now he was on the back foot. “You… heard that?”

She brushed her hair out of her face, briefly touching her braided ponytail. “I did. And I guess I didn’t realize how important our friendship was to you.” Now her face was turning red. “I-I mean, I never had any doubt that we were friends, you know? And I’m glad we are. And I want to stay friends forever. But hearing you talk about it like that, I guess I was just surprised.” She was smiling and blushing, turning her head down and looking up at him.

Goh fought hard to find words, but the meaning of her words touched his heart, and she was looking so cute, smiling at him, that he was stunned momentarily. It took Sobble crawling back over and tapping him on the head to shake him from it.

“I… y-you’re my first friend, Chloe. My only friend before Ash came in and I made up with Horace. We’ve…” he blinked, his mind returning to the dream he had that morning. “We’ve been through a lot together. And I don’t want that to change.”

It was something neither of them wanted to change, but they could both feel their friendship beginning to change, to grow into something beyond itself.

It was evolving before their eyes, and the fear of rejection in the back of their minds kept them from wanting to see it grow.

“I don’t want it to change either,” she said, looking at Eevee, who was licking her food bowl clean. “And I guess that’s that.”

Goh nodded, somewhat solemnly. “…that’s that.”

There was a long, quiet pause between them, the only sound the rough scratching of Eevee’s tongue against the porcelain bowl.

“I guess we better start heading back to the lab,” Goh finally said, the data he analyzed drawing him to the most heartbreaking conclusion. Chloe was touched by his words of friendship, not seeing that they could become more than that, not wanting to explore the world of feelings that could await them.

Chloe nodded, having come to her own conclusion. Goh said he didn’t want it to change? If she told him how she felt, it would definitely change, and she couldn’t do that to him. Not after all the years of kindness and support they had shown each other, and especially not with his job with her father helping him on the road to catching Mew.

The two stood and smiled pleasantly, but their hearts were breaking under the surface.

Stepping outside the café, Chloe looked up and sitting on a lamppost was a Murkrow.

“Goh! Look!” she said, tugging on his sleeve. “A Pokémon.”

Goh looked up, his expression muted. “So it is.”

“Aren’t you going to try to catch it?”

He looked at Chloe for a moment as she held Eevee in her arms and blinked. “…what? WAIT!” In a panic, he took a ball from his pocket and quickly tossed it at the Darkness Pokémon, only for the ball to curve wide and miss it. The Murkrow took off and flew elsewhere into the city.

Goh sighed. This day was just getting worse and worse wasn’t it?

Chloe put on a brave face. She didn’t want to see him down like this.

“W-We can chase it if you want…?”

Goh sighed and shook his head. “No… It’s okay Chloe. We can just go back to the lab.”

“O-Oh. Alright.”

And they began their long walk back to the laboratory. Something _had_ changed between them that they couldn’t find heart to put the words to. Somehow, while being on the same wavelength, their interpretation ended up being worlds apart.


	5. Let it Evolve

Goh went into his dorm room and slammed the door behind him. Everyone else but Ash (obviously) had left for the day, and Goh wasn’t interested in initiating conversation at the moment. He climbed up to the top bunk and buried his head beneath the covers, angry at himself mostly for how much this rejection hurt. He wasn’t ready for this.

He wasn’t expecting this.

Chloe was his friend – his closest friend – and the thought of everything they had done together weighing down upon him felt like he was getting crushed under a mountain of Pokémon, putting him farther and farther away from his goal.

Cinderace and Sobble let themselves out of their Poké Balls, but Goh remained hidden away, not wanting to face anyone right now.

“Ace?” the rabbit asked Goh.

Goh’s response was to immaturely curl up in his blankets. He didn’t want to be strong right now. Or mature. He didn’t want to be the smart guy.

He wanted to talk to Chloe more. But from their talk at the café… what conclusion was there to reach other than she only saw him as a friend?

“I didn’t know it would hurt so much…”

“S…Sob…?”

The Water-Type scrambled up the bunk bed to join Goh, and tapped him with his claw. Goh stuck his head out to look at Sobble, looking as absolutely miserable on the outside that he did the inside.

“S…Sooooooobubububble!”

And just like that, Sobble began to cry, and his potent, onion-like tears brought tears to Goh and Cinderace, as well.

Now the sound of all three of them crying finally brought Ash upstairs. “Goh? What’s the matter? Why are you-BWAAAAA!”

And now Ash and Pikachu were crying, too.

Cinderace picked Sobble up and began rocking him to calm him down. The Fire-Type sat in a corner, cooing softly to Sobble. Sobble sniffed and hic’d but soon his tears were dry. And with that, everyone else’s tears dried up.

Everyone else’s but Goh’s, that is.

Ash frowned. “Goh, what’s up? You’ve been completely bummed ever since you came back from talking to that girl you thought liked you. Did you two have a fight or something?”

“It’d have been better if we did…” he said, lying down.

The Palletonian crossed his arms. “C’mon, Goh. I can’t help you out if you don’t talk.”

“There’s nothing to help, Ash. She doesn’t want anything to change between us and I can’t risk bothering her more about it.”

Ash was confused. “Why not?”

Goh rolled over in his bed. “Because I like being able to sleep here and have a place for all my Pokémon to stay.”

The gears in Ash’s head began to turn.

“…wait, the girl was Chrysa?!”

Unfortunately the gears turned in the completely wrong direction.

“CHRYSA?!” Goh push himself up into a sitting position on the bed. “SHE’S WAY OLDER THAN ME!”

This just made Ash laugh. “Haha, well, there was this guy I know-“

“It’s not Chrysa, okay?!” Goh shouted, his face burning. “It’s…”

Ash blinked and tried to think a bit more.

“That Kricketune girl?”

Goh sighed. “Now you’re just trying to get it wrong.”

The battler chuckled. “Well, I’m pretty bad at guessing games.”

Goh looked down at him from his bed. Ash had been the one to give him advice before. And he could be trusted not to say too much (he hoped).

“Alright, I’ll tell you. Let me get down and start from the beginning.”

* * *

He opened the door into a darkened room.

“Chloe? Are you even in here?”

The voice came back from the darkness.

“Go away, Parker. I’m not in the mood for it.”

“Why’re you laying here in the dark, sis?” Parker asked the darkened room. “Did you have a bad day at school today?”

“Something like that.”

Chloe was laying on her bed, still wearing her school uniform, starting at the darkened ceiling that only became visible with Parker opening the door and the hallway light coming in. She had drawn the curtain over the window to keep the lights on at this time of night out. She just wanted to be alone.

Goh had called her a friend, and he didn’t want that to change. What other conclusion could she draw? To push harder would be to jeopardize her friend, his research fellowship, his road to Mew – everything he held dear. She couldn’t do that to him. She cared about him too much to do that to him.

So she laid here in the dark, not even touching her homework yet. Willing herself to just be his friend and forget how warm his hand felt, or his kind gestures, or how he protected her when she couldn’t protect herself.

So far it wasn’t working.

“You know its dinner time, right?” Parker said, frowning into the darkness. “It’s gonna get cold and Mom made her Yakisoba. You love Mom’s Yakisoba. So c’mon… get out of there.”

Parker took a step into his sister’s room to be met by two growls and a few electric sparks coming off of Chloe’s bed. The sparking lit up Yamper and Eevee, who were lying next to Chloe in an effort to cheer her up.

Parker swallowed. “If I call your bluff, Yamper, and you attack me, you know you’ll be grounded from Chloe’s room for like a week.”

Yamper’s growls ceased and they turned into a whine. Eevee quieted entirely.

Parker turned on the light and looked at his sister’s face.

“Chloe, are you okay…?”

The light illuminated her face, and her eyes were red and puffy. Down the sides of her face were wet trails left by tears. She didn’t answer her brother. Parker’s concern overtook his trepidation about his sister’s room and he entered, kneeling next to her bed.

“Chloe, have you been crying? What happened? Why are you so upset?”

She turned her back to him, laying on her side. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Chloe?”

Parker and Chloe looked toward the door and their mother was standing there, concern on her face. As soon as she saw Chloe’s face, she came in. “Parker, can you go help your father for me?”

It translated from “Parent” to “Child” as ‘Please get out of here and let me handle this.’

Parker nodded and slipped out without a word. Chloe’s mother put her arms around her daughter, pulling Yamper and Eevee with her into a sitting position.

Chloe sat there, pain and heartache written on her face in the way only a mother could read them. “Did something happen with a friend of yours?” she asked, not wanting to overplay her hand.

“I don’t really wanna talk about it…” she said, her stance shifting around her mother. “I just… didn’t think it’d hurt this much.”

Chloe’s mother pulled the girl and her Pokémon in tightly, and Chloe relaxed.

“…maybe after dinner,” the student amended.

Her mother nodded. “Let’s get something to eat and then we can have a talk, just us girls, okay?”

“Okay.” Chloe wiped her face clean of any tears with the sleeve of her school uniform. “Thanks, Mom.”

* * *

“WHAT?! IT WAS CHLOE ALL ALONG?!”

Ash was beside himself (almost literally as Pikachu repeated the same expression).

Goh was just happy that no one was here to overhear that. Ash was seated on his bed and Goh took the seat at his desk while Cinderace and Sobble watched from the corner.

“Y-Yeah,” he said, finishing his recounting of everything that happened that day. He looked down at his hand, and in his mind he could still feel Chloe’s small, soft hand there. He thrill he felt from holding it was fresh in his mind, even hours later, even with the knowledge that she didn’t want to see if they could be more.

He cared for his first friend, deeply. On a level he wasn’t quite sure of, yet. But that level would remain out of reach for good, it seemed.

“But you didn’t say what you guys fought about?” Ash said. “She didn’t hand you a sour apple? Or catch a Pokémon you were tryin’ to get?”

“We didn’t really fight, okay?” Goh said, raising his voice. “I just observed her and we talked and she said she didn’t want to change how she felt about me and that’s that!”

Ash frowned, glaring back at him with his brown eyes. Seeing right through him. “Maybe that’s enough for you guys,” he said.

Goh felt his anger bubbling up. “Are you saying you know Chloe better than I do?”

“No,” Ash responded. “But you’re both scared, right? Apologizing takes guts.”

“Why am I taking advice from you on this?” Goh asked, his annoyance rising. “You already said you’ve never had a girlfriend before!”

Ash just laughed at that. “Maybe, but I’ve gotten in plenty of fights with girls before. And you know what was true in almost all of ‘em?”

“What?”

“It was my fault,” Ash said, nodding sagely. “I would get caught up in jumping in like a little kid and making things worse, or making everyone worry because I was spending my time beating myself up instead of finding a solution. But in the end, they were usually right.” Ash looked up at the ceiling, not seeing the lights but seeing the faces of his friends from his journey. “I thought I had it figured out, but I had it all wrong, and I had to be set straight.”

Goh furrowed his brow, thinking. “So… you think I might have misread the entire thing…?” he asked. “That maybe… Chloe did want to talk about it?”

Ash nodded in reply. “Yeah. I bet she wanted to but you said or did something that made her think you didn’t wanna talk about it.”

Goh thought about his words for a moment then groaned and spun in the chair he was sitting in. “I said we were friends and I didn’t want to change that… I’m such a blockhead…”

“Hey,” Ash laughed, “At least she doesn’t hate you like this girl hated me.” Somehow he still had the bitter taste of that fruit in his mouth, even all this time since. “And that means the next part is simple.”

“The next part…?” Goh asked, his seat slowing down from its spin. “You mean where I apologize?”

Ash nodded. “It can be a bit hard, but if you’re really friends, you’ll work it out, no doubt. And even if you like her a bit more than she likes you? That’s fine, too. Trust me, real friends make it work no matter what, and you seem like you get Chloe more than anybody. Even her!”

For the first time in hours, Goh cracked a smile. “Thanks, man.” He held up a fist, to which Ash responded with his own. “I just gotta get my chance. And apologize for making this misunderstanding.”

“You know,” Ash said, “Maybe get her a present or something, too. Something she’d like?” He was working from his own memories of his own apology now.

Goh thought for a moment. “Something she’d like…?”

_“Oh, those are so pretty!”_

_Sitting in a flower pot out front were several pink flowers with six petals each. The colors were deeper at the ends of the petals and became pinker as they came together._

_“I wonder what kind of flower they are?” she asked._

_Goh aimed his Rotom Phone at the flowers, which took a quick picture and compared it to other data it had access to. “Gracidea Flowers,” spoke the voice from his phone. “These flowers are native to the Sinnoh Region and are often given to others as gifts to express gratitude.”_

“That’s it! Gracidea Flowers! Because I want her to know how grateful I am that she’s still with me, even if she doesn’t feel the same!”

“That’s an awesome idea, Goh!” Ash cheered.

Goh looked out the window into the night sky. “It’s a shame it’s so late… any flower shops’ll definitely be closed by now.”

“You could just rush over in the morning and meet her before she leaves here for school, no doubt about it!”

Goh looked out the window, his confidence in himself restored.

“Just wait, Chloe. I’ll tell you my true feelings. Because that’s in my future. And I hold my future in the palm of my hand!”

* * *

After a very quiet dinner of saying practically nothing, Talia quickly and subtly ushered her husband and son out of the kitchen, leaving her to sit with Chloe. The girl was still picking at her dinner. She had made an effort to eat most of it, but there were a few carrots still on her plate she was moving around.

"It's just us now," she said to her daughter. "You can talk to me and we don't have to worry about your brother or your _father_ over hearing." The emphasis was deliberate. Talia Cerise was a woman of many talents, and she was sure her daughter didn't fall far from that tree. She had an idea about what was going on, but she also knew Chloe needed to say it in her own words.

The student shifted in her seat, uncomfortable. "...Mom, did you and Dad ever have a fight or think you might not be friends anymore?"

Talia sat down next to her. "I'm sure there have been a few times we let our mouths run a bit ahead of our thoughts. Why do you ask?"

Chloe fidgeted again, moving a carrot again across her plate. "... what if that's what happened that made me upset? What should I do?"

"Well, what did you and your friend fight about?" her mother asked.

The student frowned, looks at her plate. "... Can I let Yamper and Eevee eat these?"

"You may."

Chloe took the plate off the table and sat it on the ground, causing the two Pokémon to rush over and greedily feast on her table scraps.

"...I had… have… a crush on him."

She couldn't deny that her feelings were still strong.

"Oh," her mother responded, feigning surprise. "I didn't know. And you told him that you liked him?"

"N- not exactly…" She took a deep breath. "I… He-we talked and I told him that I did want to be friends with him, and he said we've been through a lot together and he didn't want that to change anything… So it's obvious he just sees me as a friend. So… I didn't tell him."

Talia nodded. "But Chloe, how can you expect him to know if you never told him?"

"But he's the one who invited me!" She replied, defiant. "If he didn't think I liked him, why would he invite me out in the first place?"

Chloe's mother smiled at her, waiting for her to understand.

She gasped, recounting her words. "Did… he think I like him?"

"I think maybe you and he were so nervous that you looked for the first opportunity to give up and you took it." Talia patted her daughter on the head. "Did either of you say that you liked each other, or that you only wanted to be friends?"

Chloe sat there for a moment, considering their talk. "N-no. No, we didn't say anything like that."

"Then, again, how can you expect him to know if you never told him?"

Chloe sighed putting her face in her hands. "Ugh, I'm an idiot."

Her mother stood and put her arms around her daughter. "You're not an idiot. You're just afraid and in love, and that makes you act in ways that aren’t always the most logical. But sometimes how you feel isn’t going to be logical. You just have to… well, go with it.”

She giggled at the idea of “Goh”-ing with it.

“So... I should stop being scared and just… tell him how I really feel? No ambiguity, no trying to have him guess… just… tell him?”

Talia nodded and pulled her daughter into a standing position. “That’s exactly right.”

It was the same advice she got from Mika that she had failed to act on. “But how can I do that?!“ she said, balking. “I’ll freeze up if I have to use my words…!”

Talia gave Chloe another pat on the head. “When I asked your father out for the first time, I wasn’t confident, either.”

Chloe gasped. “You weren’t…?”

Talia shook her head. “No. So what I did do was a bit trickier.”

_The young Raymond Cerise stood surprised. “You want me to look at the latest comic you drew?” He was a bit shaken and nervous. What would Talia have to show him?_

_She nodded, not taking her eyes off the ground as she handed him her sketchbook, with a bookmark indicating a page. He opened the sketchbook and his eyes widened. On the page in front of him, he saw a tiny drawn character that looked like himself (Dressed even in his high school uniform) and one that looked like Talia. She was even wearing her beret._

_The two characters were holding hands and smiling, with a heart above them._

_Below them was written the following:_

_“I really like you, Ray. I get so nervous when I show you my drawings because I want you to like them very much… I always want to impress you. Could I please be your girlfriend?”_

_Ray looked up, his entire face as red as his hair, and his glasses fogged up. “T-Talia…”_

_Now she was blushing profusely as well. Her ears felt like they were on fire. She silently nodded, afraid of his response and that any words that escaped her lips would throw all the effort into drawing away._

_“I…”_

_He swallowed, sweat beading on his brow. He wasn’t prepared for this._

_“I’d be honored.”_

_Now it was Talia’s turn to be surprised. “W-Wait… really…?”_

_He nodded emphatically. “Y-Yes! I’d like that very much!”_

_There wasn’t much Talia could do but blush and smile._

“You confessed to Dad with a comic?!”

Chloe’s mother laughed. “I did. I thought it would be the easiest way to ask him if I didn’t have to actually say anything.”

This made Chloe think. “Hmm… Is there something I could do like that…?”

_Goh came closer and looked at the dessert case. “Oh, is that white chocolate cake? Could I get a slice of that?”_

_Chloe looked at Goh, blinking. “A slice of cake?”_

_He grinned widely. “White chocolate is my favorite, and I guess I haven’t had any for a while so I was kinda craving it, you know?_

Chloe gasped in realization.

“Mom, do we have any white chocolate?”

* * *

Chloe left her father behind and raced up the steps. Even Yamper was having trouble keeping up with her. She threw open the doors and stepped into the lab. “Good morning, everyone!”

“G’mornin’, Chloe!”

She frowned. That wasn’t Goh... That was…

“Ash, I’m a little surprised you’re already awake.”

Ash was sitting on the couch as Chrysa and Ren logged into their computers that morning, getting ready for work. But no matter where she looked, she couldn’t see him.

“Ash, where’s Goh?”

He smirked. “Oh, he had somethin’ to do this morning, but he should be back soon!”

Her heart skipped. Goh was out doing something? What could it be? “Like he’s left the lab?”

“He’ll be back, Chloe. Trust me.” And then Ash gave her an awkward wink that made her take a few steps back from him.

“I… guess all there is to do is wait, huh?”

She sat on the couch near Ash, putting her backpack on the table and looking inside. There was a box tucked between two books, square in shape. It was the results of her efforts with her mother last night. It plain but neat, and Koharu could hardly wait to give it to him.

And so she waited, looking through her phone for a few minutes. And then a few more. And she eventually looked up to see Ash staring at her with a satisfied grin.

“What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?”

Ash just chuckled. “You’ll see!”

She raised an eyebrow and checked her phone again. Time was getting short. If she didn’t leave in the next few minutes, she’d end up being late for school.

Which would mean waiting hours to get another chance to talk to him. Her heart was pounding and her mind was racing. Maybe she could skip school? Or at least show up late? As tempting as it was she had to dismiss those out of hand. She couldn’t skip school without a good reason, and unfortunately “telling a boy you like him” probably didn’t qualify as one.

So she went back to her phone and began flipping through things again. Her messaging history with Goh, specifically.

As if by fate, just as she tapped it, a new message from Goh himself came in.

“I’m going to be late because I’m about to have a fateful encounter.”

She groaned, letting her head hit the table.

“He’s going to be late?! Why does he even bother texting me stuff like this when it’s not helpful?!”

She couldn’t wait any longer. She had to go to school now. Sighing and more than a little upset, she stood up and put her backpack on.

“I’m off to school.”

Professor Cerise waved her off and wished her well, but Chloe hardly heard him as she stepped out of the laboratory and then out of the building itself.

At that time, her breath caught in her throat.

Standing on the path ahead of her, just ahead of the Flygon he no doubt had just landed, was Goh, breathing heavily. She stared deeply into his blue eyes, and all other color seemed to vanish from the world.

“Goh-”

“Chloe-“

They spoke at the same time, and both immediately stopped, their faces flushing in unison, eyes averting their gazes shyly from the other.

There was still a distance between them. Chloe knew that.

Goh knew that.

In his hands, and finally becoming something Chloe perceived, was a bouquet of Gracidea flowers, freshly purchased from the only florist in Vermilion City that seemed to carry them. The bright pink flowers with their vivid green stems were only now catching her eyes and she felt her heart run into overdrive. She felt like she was holding her breath in that moment, waiting for him to say something. Do something. In her heart, she still couldn't believe it was real.

“Chloe, I-um“ he started, before stumbling over his words. “I’m sorry.”

“S-Sorry…?” she said, still gasping and frozen like a Deerling in headlights.

Goh nodded and stepped forward, no matter how shaky and nervous his steps felt.

“I’m sorry because I said something yesterday that I didn’t mean.”

He stopped close-but not too close- to her. Close enough to hand her the bouquet.

“What do you mean you didn’t mean…? And these flowers? Goh, what’s going on?” The frightened part of her mind was jumping in illogical directions. Was it an apology present? A ‘we’re only friends’ gift?

She didn’t want to let herself hope that it was really happening, especially after the previous day.

Goh’s breathing was ragged and unsteady. He hadn’t expected her to still be at the lab! When she stepped out of the door, the sun was shining in just the right way to accentuate her bright eyes, burning with that excitement and passion she had in her happiest moments. Her braided ponytail bounced cutely behind her (Cutely? Yes, he responded to the voice of doubt in his mind, that word did fit the professor’s daughter).

In her face, he saw the memories of their adventures, the long-suffering support, and the gleam of potential.

His breathing slowed. He began to speak.

“When I said yesterday that I didn’t want anything to change… the part I didn’t say was that I was already starting to _feel_ it change. It was starting to grow into something else. It was… it was evolving. Like a Metapod into a Butterfree. And when I said I didn’t want it to change, that was because I was afraid that after it evolved, I… I wouldn’t have my Metapod anymore.”

He took a moment to breathe slowly. He could feel his emotions rising in his eyes. He wanted to look cool for her, and was mentally kicking himself for failing.

“But I don’t think we can stop this evolution without letting go of Metapod all together. And so… I’m sorry, Chloe. I’m going to let it evolve.”

He held out the bouquet to her.

“…I like you. A lot. No, more than a lot. I-I think I love you, Chloe Cerise. And maybe saying this will make you think I’m a weirdo and wreck our friendship… but I can’t keep hiding from it. So… I’m sorry.”

The first thing Chloe noticed after he finished speaking was the tears running down her cheeks.

She reached out and took the bouquet from him, using it to hide her face. Her heart was pounding in her chest like Cinderace was inside using Double Kick. Her mind was trying to find words but it was only producing blanks.

She looked up at him, tears in both of their eyes. But despite those tears, they both wore smiles on their lips.

His dark skin looked as warm and comforting as it always did and his blue eyes glowed brilliantly clear. There was a vulnerability to him in this moment, but in it, a surging strength. Goh never knowingly lied to her and always encouraged her to step into the world beyond the ones she was familiar with. He would be her guide, as he ever was. His calmness that could see through even the coldest, iciest shell and warm her heart with his that loved so many people and Pokémon, despite feeling so much rejection.

A heart that loved her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t find her voice. Her tongue was still, and even the words her brain shouted at her seemed inadequate. So she did what she knew she could do, and spun her backpack off. Taking the box out, she held it out to Goh, who looked at it perplexed.

Had… she expected this? Was she going to say something to him regardless of what he did?

“May I open it?” was all he asked.

She nodded.

Goh opened the box, and inside there was a heart made of white chocolate. On the heart was a drawing in icing of a Poké Ball, and a few words:

“Goh, before I knew what was happening, you captured my heart. May I catch you in mine?”

It was not the smoothest thing ever written on a candy, but Chloe looked with hopeful green eyes at him.

Goh was still taking it in. He reached a hand inside the box and broke off a piece, biting into it, confirming his suspicion. It was his favorite.

He closed the box, setting it aside, and reached into a pocket, taking out a Poké Ball. He stepped closer to her, making both of them blush even harder.

He pressed the front of the ball against her forehead.

There was a moment of silence as they stood there like that.

Goh smiled at her, the joy evident in his eyes as he stared back into hers. “There. Now I’ve caught you for real.”

She looked at him, waiting for something else to happen. When nothing came, she began to giggle. First, it was slow, but it boiled over into raucous laughter.

“H-Hey, that was supposed to be cool…!” Goh stammered, surprised by her reaction.

She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in, holding and hugging him tightly and laughing, completely overwhelmed with joy.

Goh dropped the Poké Ball, and it bounced on the ground a few times. He put his arms around the girl who had been his friend for so many years, smiling into her cheek. He felt so excited in this moment. It was like a brand new world had opened, with exciting sights and scenes they could never have dreamed of apart. And all he could think about right now is how he wanted to see them together with his best friend.

She turned her head towards his and saw in his clear, blue eyes a boundless sky of endless possibilities. Not just for herself, but for the two of them together.

“Goh…”

“Chloe…”

As their faces drew timidly towards each other, the doors to the lab swung open.

“WHAT’RE YOU STILL HERE FOR?!” Ash shouted, barging into the private moment with all the subtlety of one of Yamper’s Sparks. “Chloe’s gonna be late for school!”

Suddenly she froze up. “Oh no, he’s right!”

Goh smirked. “I’ve got this.”

“Wait, what-“

He scooped his arms beneath Chloe’s legs and by her back and lifted her into his arms. The student blushed bright red as he hooked his foot into one of the straps of her backpack and kicked it to Flygon, who had been watching the entire time. The Mystic Pokémon caught the backpack and turned around.

“Get ready for us, ‘cause here we come!”

Goh climbed onto Flygon’s back while still holding Chloe in his arms. Chloe for her part was now clinging tightly to him. “Wait, what are we doing?!”

“Let’s go, Flygon! We’re taking Chloe to school, express speed!”

Flygon let out a howl and flapped her wings, taking to the air amidst Chloe’s shouting as she held on tightly, the two of them zooming off into the wild blue sky.

Chloe looked at Goh as he focused on the fast flight and even this high up, she felt perfectly safe. He would keep her from falling, even as they soared higher together towards their respective dreams. She nuzzled her head against his shoulder, enjoying the warm comfort he brought her.

The flight ended nearly as quickly as it began as Flygon landed in the schoolyard to the confused and excited gasps of the other students filing into the building. Goh sat Chloe down on her feet and smiled at her, taking her hand as he did so.

“Have a good day, Chloe. I’ll be back after school.”

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her soft fingers, making her entire face burn red.

He took off into the sky on Flygon after that, and Chloe rushed into the building to avoid being tardy.


	6. Epilogue

Her dramatic entrance was the talk of the school all day.  
  
Many of the other girls were fawning and jealous that Chloe got a positively princess-like delivery to school that morning. Boys were confused as to how they compared and looked to their peers.  
  
And Mika just smiled with a wide, proud grin, knowing she did her part to make it all happen.  
  
With everything else happening, Chloe found it difficult to focus on schoolwork, getting called on multiple times and not hearing her name. It was a bit embarrassing, but the warm feeling in her heart and the memory of Goh's lips touching her hand dispelled any doubts as to how she felt.  
  
Across town, Goh stood triumphant join his return, high fiving Ash and thanking him for his help all this way. But now he had to break the news to his employer and Chloe's father.  
  
Goh strode confidently into Professor Cerise's office to find him drinking a coffee, typing something on his laptop.  
  
"Professor, I need to talk to you."  
  
Professor Cerise looked over at Goh. "Sure, what do you need, Goh?"  
  
He had been thinking about what to say the entire time he flew back in Flygon. Figuring a first strike was the surest way to victory, he quickly admitted things.  
  
"Sir, I'm in love with your daughter!"  
  
Professor Cerise didn't miss a beat.  
  
"That's good to hear. Chloe should be happy to hear that, herself."  
  
He went back to typing.  
  
"Aren't you gonna say something?"  
  
The Professor took a sip of coffee. "Oh, I did want to go over your report about the growth of Greedent's incisors. I think you may want to rethink your comparisons with Rattata and Raticate. Did you have time for that?"  
  
Goh shook his head. "That's not what I mean. What about me having romantic feelings for her? Aren't you worried about it being an issue?"  
  
"Goh, if there's anyone I'm not worried about with my daughter, it's the boy who grew up with her. I'm sure you'll be a perfect gentleman to her because you've been her friend for years. I also know your parents and where you live. I'm not concerned. Now, are we going to talk about rodent teeth or not?"  
  
Goh lowered his head with a quiet "Yes, sir." His first defeat all day.

* * *

  
Chloe was a little surprised when Goh wasn’t immediately waiting for her after school, but rather than waiting, she thought that it would be better for her to just see him back at the lab. The truth was that she was far too excited to see him again to let something like him getting delayed to bother her. He probably had a good reason. And so, bidding a still cheerful Mika farewell, she began her walk home, only for it to be interrupted from above.  
  
"Hey! Chloe! Up here!"  
  
She stopped and saw Flygon flying overhead, circling. Waving, she called out. "Hey, Goh!"  
  
Flygon touched down in front of the girl, greeting her with a cheerful bellow as Goh held out a hand to her. "I wanna show you something. Will you come with me?"  
  
She feigned a pout. "Are you gonna princess carry me again?"  
  
"Only if you want me to."  
  
He was smirking the entire time, assured of her feelings and confident in himself. Chloe couldn't help but feel her heart pound. She smiled at him. "Not this time. But I'll go with you."  
  
She climbed into Flygon behind Goh, wrapping her arms around him tightly while keeping both of her legs on one side of the Dragon.  
  
"Hold on tight," Goh warned, though it really wasn't needed. Chloe nodded, resting her head on his back.  
  
"Let's go, Flygon!"  
  
At her trainer's command, Flygon began flapping her wings and lifting the two of them into the air.

Chloe looked down as they took flight, her grip tightening around Goh’s chest ever so slightly. Last time she was flown like this, she was literally carried away and too swept up in the euphoria that came with admitting and having accepted your crush on the boy who would take you on walks in the woods looking for a specific Pokémon. This time around, she was a bit more cognizant of what was going on.

Flygon began circling and heading upwards until only the tallest of buildings in Vermilion City went higher than she did. “Look around, Chloe,” Goh said. “Look at everything in this city. From this high, you can see the lab, your house, my apartment, the school, the café we went to yesterday… you can see so much!”

And indeed, while she wasn’t exactly swiveling her head around in all directions, she could clearly see her school and Goh’s apartment building. “Yeah, it’s funny to think that basically our entire lives until recently have all been in this city, isn’t it?”

Goh nodded. “Think about everything we’ve done here. All the birthdays and hang outs. All the times we went looking for Mew. So much of our lives took place in this city, and even this high up? It’s huge!”

She nodded. “Yeah. Vermilion’s one of the biggest cities in all of Kanto.”

“But it’s so small, too.”

She turned her head to look at him.

“C’mon, Flygon. This way.”

At his coaxing, Flygon went higher and further north. Chloe held on tightly as they went, and soon, they were flying not over streets and buildngs, but trees and footpaths. The very forests near Vermilion they had been looking for the poacher were spreading out all around them. “Look all around us here, too. Think of all the Pokémon who live out here, each living their own lives, too. Each one of them having the potential to do whatever they want, you know?”

Chloe gasped, nodding. It was something that she didn’t think very much about, but even the Pokémon of the forests, like the Nidoking they had run into not even a week ago at this point, all lived their own lives in nature, with humans living their lives out in cities. “The potential to do whatever they want…”

“And the Pokémon that live here? These are just Kanto’s Pokémon. There are Pokémon in Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, Galar… in all the places in between, too! Think about how huge that is! We were talking about how big Vermilion is! Is it really that big compared to all the amazing Pokémon and places out here?”

Chloe felt like she was beginning to understand what Goh was telling her. What sort of awe he was trying to impart. “There’s one more view you’ve got to see,” he said. “C’mon.”

Now, Goh’s Flygon turned back to Vermilion City and began a gliding decent through the air as they flew over the city, descending slightly as they went. Chloe wasn’t aware of where they were headed until it seemed like they were about to pass the city entirely and fly over the sea.

He pointed straight forward, where the sun was starting to set.

“Look at that horizon. On the other side of that, I bet there’s Pokémon that people haven’t ever met before. I bet there’s Mew, and Celebi, Jirachi, Deoxys, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin… you name it! Think about it! There’s so much world in every direction! And from space, I bet even the whole planet looks tiny!”

Chloe nodded along with Goh’s exposition.

“Think about how boundless and huge the entire universe is! It’s a world of endless potential.” He turned his neck to be looking at her over his shoulder. “All this possibility is inside you, too. You, and Eevee, and Yamper, and any other Pokémon you meet someday. You can be whatever you want. Whoever you want.”

She blinked, still holding him tight.

He turned his head back around. “Thanks, Flygon. It can’t be easy carrying us. Let’s drop down to the harbor and you can take a rest.”

Flygon nodded and decended the rest of the way towards the harbor below, letting Chloe and Goh slip off her back before Goh recalled her into her ball to rest.

Chloe took out her Poké Ball, the one containing Eevee. She thought about how small they both were, but how much potential was inside them both.

“This is the world I wanted to show you,” Goh said, making her look up.

“Goh…”

“I know you’re still figuring yourself out. What you want to do. Who you’ll be tomorrow. And I wanted to show you what I’ve learned since Ash moved into the institute. That there’s a huge world and so many different ways to live and grow that there’s no way you can do it wrong.”

Chloe giggled. “I’m pretty sure Team Rocket managed to do that,” she said, smiling at him.

To that, Goh had no response but to laugh. “Okay, you’ve got me there!” he said. “But you’re way smarter than they ever could be. You’ve always been looking out for me and helping me out. And you’ll be just as cautious for yourself. I want to show you how big this world is and help you find your place in it.” He winked at her. “That’s what boyfriends are supposed to do, right?”

To that bit of boldness, she blushed deeply.

“A-and it’s a girlfriend’s job to make sure her boyfriend doesn’t push themselves too hard, or get into trouble. I’m going to have to still be the one that asks you to slow down, aren’t I?”

“That’s how we’ve always been, right?” he responded. “We’ve been friends forever, and I don’t want to stop being friends just because you’re cute.”

She brushed the hair out of her face. “Goh, you’re so bold now. Don’t you think you ought to be careful what you say?”

Goh looked around. There really wasn’t anyone milling around this part of the harbor as the sun set over the sea.

He stepped closer.

“Is this better?”

She put her forehead against his shoulder.

“It is.”

Goh put his arms around Chloe and held her close, taking in the scent of the sea and her cherry blossom shampoo and conditioner at the same time.

“Thank you,” she said. “With you… I feel like I’m really going to make it. We can figure out what life has in store for me.” She turned her face towards his, eyes sparkling in the setting sun. “One step at a time.”

Their faces were so close now, and Goh’s heart was once more thundering in his head, blood rushing to his face. He moved his head towards hers, slowly.

She smiled back, and gave a slight nod.

Her acceptance confirmed, Goh closed his eyes and pressed his lips to hers.

Chloe was glad she was already holding onto him, because the sensation made her knees weak and she might have just fallen over if she wasn’t. But Goh’s strength held her up, and his lips were soft and tasted of white chocolate, pressed against her own. Every time she was holding his hand or hugging him, or trying to confess before, Chloe’s mind was trying to work some logical feeling out of the jumble. But now, she relaxed, feeling security, warmth, and love all from the sensation of Goh’s lips, letting it all wash over her.

If he felt Chloe stumble as he kissed her, Goh didn’t make any moves. He could tell that this was a straight line from the earliest days of their friendship, running through all of the moments they had spent together. The sweet memories of playing together in the forest, the bitter memories of the struggles he had at school, their heated arguments, their cool denials, and the plain reality of their hearts finally beating as one. All of these swirled together in his mind as he tasted Chloe’s kiss being returned to him.

The couple opened their eyes, and they saw the other staring back at them, eyes warm with love, hearts and souls in unison.

“I love you, Goh.”

He smiled.

“I love you, too, Chloe. Let’s go home.”

* * *

In the laboratory of Professor Cerise, a few days later…

“What?!”

The Professor brought a holographic image on screen. “A school of Luvdisc, a huge outbreak of them has appeared in the Sinnoh Region! I’d like you three to go investigate it for me.”

Chloe looked around. “Wait, but where’s Ash? Shouldn’t you be sending him with us?”

Her hand was squeezed by her boyfriend. “Ash has a Battle Festival in Vermilion today. He’s going to be grinding up his rank to match up against Leon!”

She laughed and sighed. “Heheh… that figures.”

“This isn’t a problem, is it, Chloe?” her father asked her. “You can fill in for Ash this time, right?”

She nodded turning to Eevee and Yamper. “Yeah! I’m excited to see what it’s like in Sinnoh! I bet there’ll be lots of cool things to see!”

“And lots of cool Pokémon to catch!” Goh grinned. “I’ve been hoping to get another chance to expand my Sinnoh Pokémon collection!”

Chloe giggled at her boyfriend’s excitement. “Let’s just make sure we get the info my Dad wants, too, okay?”

Holding her hand, Goh pulled her towards the door. “Hey, that’s why we’re doing this together!”

She nodded. “Right”

“Sinnoh Region… Let’s go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this entire story. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have! Please let me know any comments you have below, or any questions you have. You may also reach out to me on Twitter @purimpopoie. Thank you.


End file.
